A 21-year-old Dutch Muslim convert who escaped from Iraq with her two children has been released from high security prison ahead of her October trial on terrorism charges by judges in Rotterdam. The public prosecution department said last week that Laura Hansen should no longer be held in a high security jail and that it no longer considers that she was sent back to the Netherlands to carry out a terrorist attack. Hansen has been ordered to wear an electronic tag, must report regularly to the probation services and has been banned from contacting the media or her husband, who remains in IS territory. Hansen, from Zoetermeer, has been held in the high security jail in Vught since last August, having fled via Kurdish territory with her two young children with the help of her father. She claims she was tricked into going to Syria by her husband after the family left for what she believed was a holiday in Turkey and has since renounced Islam. Her trial will take place on October 12 and 13.  More >

An attempt by thieves to break open a cash dispenser using explosives in the German town of Wesel on Monday night resulted in a car chase to Utrecht, Dutch media said on Tuesday. A police helicopter and dozens of cars took part in the chase along the A12 motorway, which ended when the car - a black Audi - crashed in the Kanaleneiland district of Utrecht. No-one was arrested and police searched the neighbourhood for the suspects, leading to scores of complaints about the noise. No explosives were found in the car, broadcaster NOS said. Last year, German banks close to the Dutch border began tightening up security following a surge in attacks on cash dispensers, thought to have been orchestrated by Dutch gangs. Audis In the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia there were 80 attempts to blow up or crash into ATMs in the first seven months of 2016, compared with 67 in 2015 as a whole. In Lower Saxony there were 67, compared with just 28 in 2015. Police said last year they suspect the raids are being carried out by a group of Dutch Moroccans who are based in Utrecht and Amsterdam and who have moved into Germany because of increased security at Dutch ATMs. The gang is known as the ‘Audi mob’ because of their habit of stealing fast Audis to make their getaway over the border. In April, Dutch police have arrested a 28-year-old man on suspicion of blowing up seventeen ATMs in Germany between February and May last year. In February two alleged members of the 'Audi mob' were killed when their car left the Autobahn at high speed. #Plofkraak Duitsland eindigt met crash in #Utrecht: Volgens getuigen is een deel van de wijk hermetisch afgesloten https://t.co/lNoE7TxepS pic.twitter.com/4wJLiqqwQ3 — RTV Utrecht (@rtvutrecht) July 25, 2017   More >

A Dutchman jailed for 12 years in China for killing a neighbour has had the sentence cut to 4.5 years on appeal, broadcaster NOS said on Friday. Harm Fitie has already served two years in jail after being found guilty of pushing his neighbour off the roof of their home. Fitie claims the man was drunk and lost his footing. The Chinese appeal court ruled that Fitie had a role in the death and the fact that he tried to resuscitate him was a sign of guilt and remorse. However the charge was reduced from manslaughter to negligence, resulting in the shorter sentence. Fitie's father, who was in court, said he was relieved the sentence has been cut but had hoped his son would be found not guilty. 'Of course it is a disappointment that someone who is clearly innocent is jailed for 4.5 years,' he said.   More >

Five men have been jailed for between 12.5 and 20 years for their role in an attempted gangland killing in which a car was riddled with bullets in the middle of a residential area of Diemen in 2015. The victim, a known gangland figure, survived the attack and attempted to drive off. His car ended up in a nearby canal. The two gunmen, who shot at least 34 times at the victim using semi-automatic weapons were both sentenced to 20 years in jail. The driver of the getaway car and two other men who had followed the victim were also sent to prison, the driver for 16 years, the others for 12.5 years. The sentences handed down by judges in Amsterdam are particularly severe by Dutch standards, commentators said. The judges said they hoped the long sentences would have a preventative effect, given the current spate of gangland killings in the Dutch capital.  More >