Hungary, Netherlands Face Assassination Plots
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
(Worthy News) – European Union nations Hungary and the Netherlands were investigating Thursday plots to kill their prime ministers and other politicians amid mounting concerns about rising crime and fringe groups.
In Hungary, two leaders of the ‘Responsible National Government of Hungarians’ group were detained by anti-terror units over alleged assassination plans, authorities confirmed.
A published hit-list included Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, 58, and names of other politicians linked to the government and opposition as well as judges.
The suspects drafted a self-styled “new constitution” and operated a semi-secret organization via social media, according to the charges. They also expressed anti-Semitic views and sought “to forcibly change the constitutional order,” prosecutors said.
News of their detention came after extra security measures around Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who was the target of an attack or kidnapping, officials confirmed Monday.
The Liberal Rutte, one of the longest-serving European leaders who prefer cycling to work, gets additional protection from specially trained police officers from the Royal and Diplomatic Security Service (DKDB).
Amid the ongoing investigation, Dutch police detained a politician in the Hague on suspicion of involvement in a plot to assassinate Prime Minister Rutte, officials said.
The prime minister’s security service confirmed that Arnoud van Doorn, the leader of The Hague Unity Party, was arrested on Sunday.
He “displayed suspicious behavior” as he walked through the same city area as Rutte, the service said. Van Doorn was released on Monday after a police interrogation.
Dutch anti-Islam leader Geert Wilders, usually an ardent critic of Rutte, wished him well, calling the reports “terrible.”
Van Doorn used to be a leading member of Wilders’ far-right Freedom Party, known for its anti-Islam stance.
But in 2013, Van Doorn surprised his party by converting to Islam, saying he had turned his back on his former life.
The threat against Rutte from what Dutch media called “the cocaine mafia” comes while this seafaring nation is still dealing with the July killing of crime reporter Peter R. de Vries.
Last September, Dutch lawyer Derk Wiersum was shot and killed near his home in Amsterdam after defending a state witness.
Prime Minister Rutte, 54, initially declined to accept visible protection but eventually listened to advice from security services, officials said.
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