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New charge for van Gogh killer
14/01/2005 11:23 - (SA)
The Hague - Dutch authorities have brought a further charge carrying a possible life sentence against the alleged killer of film maker Theo van Gogh, prosecution officials said on Friday.
Mohammed B, the radical Moslem charged with the November 2 murder, will also face the charge of hindering a parliamentarian in the course of her duties.
The trial begins on January 26.
The charge, based on a late 19th century law aimed at countering a revolutionary threat at the time, refers to a letter pinned with a knife to Van Gogh's body.
It threatened Somali-born member of parliament Ayaan Hirsi Ali.
Flown out of the country
Hirsi Ali, who cooperated with Van Gogh in making the film "Submission" about violence against Moslem women in the Netherlands, was flown out of the country on a military flight on November 10 for her own safety.
Earlier this week, Dutch justice officials said a radical Moslem group had plans to murder Hirsi Ali.
Members of the "Hofstadgroep" planned to strike during the fireworks marking the New Year's festivities, they said.
Hirsi is reported to have gone to the United States, but members of her party say she will return to take her seat in parliament at the end of the Christmas recess later this month.
Raid resulted in arrests
On the day of her flight out of the country, counter-terrorism units raided a house in The Hague, making two arrests in connection with the alleged plot to murder her and others, including Amsterdam Mayor Job Cohen.
Van Gogh was shot and stabbed to death in broad daylight on an Amsterdam street, apparently in an act of revenge for "Submission", in which Koranic texts are displayed on a naked woman.
Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said late on Thursday that the crisis in the country over Van Gogh's murder had led to better communication and greater mutual respect between people from the differing communities. - dpa
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