The murderer of killed film maker Theo van Gogh, Mohammed Bouyeri, will appear in court in The Hague today as a witness in the appeal case of seven members of the so-called Hofstad terrorist group. Bouyeri was considered by the lower court to be a central figure in the network.

The appeal, which is being heard at the high security court ‘the bunker’ in Amsterdam’s Osdorp, is expected to last several weeks and will hear 17 witnesses.
Of the 14 men originally tried on terrorism charges, five were found not guilty and five were given sentences of up to two years. Two of the seven appealing against conviction have already been deported as undesirable aliens.
Both the public prosecution department and the defence are appealing against the lower court ruling, newspaper Parool reported. It said the prosecution will again try to convince the judges that the gang were planning actual terrorist attacks.
Bouyeri was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2005 for killing Van Gogh.