A 29-year-old man from The Hague was arrested at his home on Tuesday on suspicion of having fought with fundamentalist militias in Syria.

The man, who also faces charges of possessing seditious material, is being held in solitary confinement, police said.

Police have declined to say when the man is thought to have left for Syria or when he returned. The government is taking a tough line against returnees in an effort to stop people joining the fighting in Syria and Iraq and encouraging others to do so.

Families

Meanwhile, the public prosecution department has applied to extend the detention of two couples from Huizen who were arrested at the weekend. The couples, who had six children between them, were thought to have been on the verge of leaving for Syria.

The children, aged from eight months to nine years old, are being looked after by foster families. All of their passports have been cancelled.