Terrorism is the commission or preparation of serious criminal offenses with a ‘terrorist intent’. This means that the suspect must have had a specific intention or purpose when committing the criminal offense. Examples include: <\/p>\n\n
In common parlance, terrorism is also described as the threat or use of serious violence to achieve a political or religious goal, without a lawful reason. Terrorism can occur in various forms. For example: <\/p>\n\n
Terrorism can also be committed by individual perpetrators who use violence on their own initiative. The Public Prosecution Service then investigates whether their act had a terrorist purpose. <\/p>\n\n
There are various criminal offenses related to terrorism. The most common criminal offenses are: <\/p>\n\n
In addition, ordinary crimes such as arson, murder<\/a>, or hacking<\/a> can be seen as terrorist offenses if they are committed with a terrorist purpose. Even crimes such as theft<\/a>, fraud<\/a>, or destruction can be seen as terrorism if they are intended to achieve a terrorist goal. <\/p>\n\n Finally, there are some specific criminal offenses that are directly related to terrorism, but which hardly ever occur in practice.<\/p>\n\n Dutch law stipulates that someone who commits a crime with a terrorist intent is punished more severely than someone who commits the same crime without that purpose. The sentence can then be increased by a third or even half. In very serious cases, such as a fatal attack, the court can even impose a life sentence. <\/p>\n\n Upon conviction for certain terrorist offenses, you may also lose your right to vote. This means that you may no longer vote or be elected in elections. <\/p>\n\n Yes. In cases of suspected terrorism, different rules sometimes apply than in ordinary criminal cases. This applies especially to pre-trial detention (meaning that someone is in provisional custody while awaiting the outcome of their criminal case) and to the way in which the police and the Public Prosecution Service may conduct investigations. <\/p>\n\n The threshold for keeping someone in pre-trial detention is lower. Normally, someone may only be detained for a longer period if there are ‘serious grounds’ \u2013 meaning there are strong indications that the person has committed a criminal offense. In terrorism cases, this is different: in the first 14 days, a ‘reasonable suspicion of guilt’ is sufficient. This is a lighter form of suspicion, where it is enough that facts or circumstances point to the suspect’s involvement in a criminal offense. Only after these 14 days must the prosecution, in principle, demonstrate that there are serious grounds to keep the suspect in custody for longer. <\/p>\n\n The police may start their investigation earlier. In ordinary criminal cases, the police may only use certain intrusive investigative methods \u2013 such as wiretapping, observations, or hacking a computer \u2013 if there are serious grounds. In terrorism cases, it is different: it is already enough if there are ‘indications’ of a terrorist offense. That is an even lighter form of suspicion than a ‘reasonable suspicion of guilt’. The threshold for applying special investigative powers in terrorism cases is therefore very low. In practice, the police investigation often begins with an official report provided by the General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD). <\/p>\n\n In the worst-case scenario, you could be sentenced to life imprisonment. Furthermore, the legal rules in terrorism cases are complex and different from ordinary criminal cases. A lawyer with experience in terrorism cases knows exactly which deviating rules apply, what the police may and may not do, and how the rights of the suspect can be protected. The lawyer also has extensive experience in similar cases and therefore knows what the defense should focus on. This can make a big difference to the outcome of the case. Are you suspected of a terrorism offense? Then contact us directly without obligation<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-5504","expertise","type-expertise","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.strafrechtadvocaten.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/expertise\/5504","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.strafrechtadvocaten.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/expertise"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.strafrechtadvocaten.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/expertise"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.strafrechtadvocaten.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
What penalties can be imposed for a terrorist offense?<\/h2>\n\n
Are there special rules if someone is suspected of a terrorist offense?<\/h2>\n\n
What is different about pre-trial detention in terrorism cases?<\/h2>\n\n
What is different about the police investigation in terrorism cases?<\/h2>\n\n
Why hire a specialized criminal defense lawyer if you are suspected of a terrorist offense? <\/h2>\n\n