Encrypted messages reveal these mafia’s plans to attack or kidnap Amalia de Orange and the Prime Minister, which has forced them to bolster their security
A princess locked in her palace and a prime minister who is guarded around the clock. Threats from criminal organizations have become a state matter in the Netherlands after Dutch security forces intercepted various messages reporting a possible attack or kidnapping of Princess Amalia of Orange and government leader Mark Rutte.
Authorities believe such an attack is possible, which has resulted in increased security around these two public figures, with 24-hour surveillance. The princess has been transferred to Huis ten Bosch palace in The Hague and leaves her house alone to go to university. “He no longer lives in Amsterdam and has barely left home. This has enormous consequences in his life, it is not a student life,” his parents, Kings Guillermo and Máxima, told the press. Prime Minister Rutte has also had to change his daily routine: he is no longer allowed to cycle as he used to; and has had to accept greater protective measures.
The alarm bell was sounded by the Dutch newspaper ‘De Telegraaf’ with an article revealing that the names of the princess and the Dutch leader appeared in “encrypted messages” from organized crime. “The authorities have given great credibility to these threats and are not going to take any risks,” said security expert and professor at the University of Leiden, Jelle van Buuren, who sees “a display of power” in these plans to attack government figures by criminals. groups. He also sees it possible that the kidnapping of the princess and the prime minister is aimed at “trading the hostages for currently imprisoned criminal leaders”.
The Netherlands is considered an international ‘hub’ for drug trafficking: it has an exceptional geographical location, with the exit via the port of Rotterdam and a very good connection with the rest of the continent. Recently, however, organized crime has become a “challenge” and “a threat to society and institutions due to corruption, the mixing of the legal and illegal business worlds and the huge amounts these organizations invest in the economy,” says Van Buuren.
Although Dutch organized crime does not yet have as strong economic and institutional roots as the Italian mafia, for example, Dutch organized crime uses terror and intimidation to maintain control over the country. “Threats from these organizations have become part of the country’s political agenda and some public figures – journalists, scientists, politicians – have been subjected to hate speech, intimidation and violence.”
In July 2021, investigative journalist Peter R. de Vries was shot dead by these gangs. His murder, in the center of Amsterdam and in broad daylight, shocked society. “It was a hard lesson for the authorities, because what seemed unthinkable became reality,” says the expert. The case is also linked to two other murders, that of the key witness to the crime and that of his lawyer.
The Dutch authorities are working on initiatives to counter the influence of organized crime in the country, but it is not an easy battle. Meanwhile, the number of people in need of constant protection and surveillance is growing, because of their relationship with the fight against these organizations or their legal prosecution. A threat from which no one is spared, not even the royal family or the head of government.
Source: La Verdad
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