Hofstad witness held by the court

An important witness in the Hofstad Group trial is being held by the court for refusing to give testimony. Malika, 17, denies that her decision not to stand witness is due to feeling threatened by a letter.

The letter, that she received in October, says that Muslims may not work together with the Kufar (the unbelievers). The letter ends by saying "may Allah lead you, or else break your back."

Malika had given testimony to the police this summer against several members of the Hofstad Group. She was married for a short time to Nourdine el F, in a Muslim ceremony that was held by Mohammed Bouyeri. The couple spent their wedding nights watching beheading films. Nourdine was arrested in June with a pistol.

Her husband had convinced her to die as a martyr. She told the police that "I also truly believed then, that it would be a good deed to commit an attack."

Her lawyer would not say why Malika's now keeping silent. She's aware of her obligation by law to give witness and accepts the consequences. It is apparently the first time that a court arrest a minor.

The counsel for one of the suspects says, on the other hand, that her testimony can't be used anyway, as it hasn't been released to the defense.

This article manages to bring together almost everything the Dutch gov't had recently reported - the usage of women by radical Muslims and the 'convenience' marriages done by such groups.

Source: De Volkskrant (Dutch)

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