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'Don't compare me to Osama'
02/02/2006 14:12 - (SA)
Amsterdam - Mohammed Bouyeri, the Islamist radical convicted of the murder of Dutch film maker Theo van Gogh, said he was "not worthy" of being compared to Osama bin Laden.
Dressed in black robes with a red and white headdress, Bouyeri, 27, used his statement to the court in the trial of 13 members of the Hofstadgroep of suspected terrorists to make a confession of faith.
Bouyeri said: "That you compare Osama bin Laden with me does not do the man justice and honours me more than I deserve.
"But, the fact that you see me as the black standard-bearer of Islam in Europe fills me with honour, pride and joy."
Most of the accused in the case, which began on December 5, were of Moroccan origin and lived in Amsterdam. They were aged 18 to 28.
Bouyeri was seen by the prosecution as a key figure in the Hofstadgroep, holding events in his Amsterdam flat, where jihad was discussed.
During the trial, the court heard that Van Gogh's murder case had been reopened to find possible accomplices.
Bouyeri, sentenced in July last year to life in prison for the November 2004 murder, had always insisted he operated alone.
- SAPA
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