Dutch court releases three TikTok IS propaganda suspects, imposes social media ban

A court in The Hague has ordered the release of three suspects on Friday who are accused of spreading Islamic State propaganda on TikTok. As part of their conditions, 21-year-old Faiez A. from Hoorn, 24-year-old Majd H. from The Hague, and 24-year-old Asma Al K. from Leiderdorp will be subject to a ban on using social media.

On Wednesday, the suspects made their first public appearance in court after being arrested on February 10 on charges of involvement with the terrorist organisation IS and encouraging other TikTok users to commit terrorist crimes. Some of the videos they posted were viewed over 100,000 times.

In total, 16 suspects were arrested across nine police regions. The main suspect in the case, a man from Hoorn, was detained earlier on January 20. His lawyer said A. did not act out of ideological motives, but instead aimed to profit financially. “His intention was essentially to make money,” the lawyer stated.

The messages reportedly included calls to join the armed forces and the glorification of martyrdom. Addressing A., who fled Syria, the judge said the posts had “greatly alarmed” police, prosecutors, and the court.

It also emerged during the hearing that he had an IS flag in his room and had posted content on social media appearing to romanticise weapons. The court described these as “symbols and expressions of war and hatred” that are unacceptable.

His release was justified by his young age and strong school results. A. told the court he intends to focus on his “goals and dreams” moving forward.

The majority of the 16 suspects are currently awaiting trial outside detention, with the exception of a 22-year-old man from Schagen and a 27-year-old man from Numansdorp. Both are scheduled to appear in court later this month in Haarlem and Rotterdam, respectively.