Two men who for the past 10 years have been considered to be members of a ‘terrorist’ network in The Hague have again been found not guilty in a Dutch court.

Fahmi B and Youssouf E were accused of being members of the ‘Hofstad Group’, the name given by police to a lose grouping of young radical Muslims with connections to Mohammed B, the man who killed Theo van Gogh.

At the original trial, all were found not guilty of being members of a terrorist organisation but B and E were later sentenced to 1.5 years in jail.

That verdict was torn up because the court failed to give proper motivation for its verdict. The case has now been heard again and the men finally cleared.

‘This case has had a serious impact on the lives of those involved,’ lawyer Bart Nooitgedagt told news agency ANP. ‘They have been subjected to every measure possible by the government.’

The men will be asking for ‘appropriate compensation for all their suffering,’ Nooitgedagt said.