Dutch minor convicted over plans to attack Flemish Parliament
A court in Leeuwarden has convicted a minor for preparing terrorist attacks targeting the Flemish Parliament in Brussels and the Deelen military air base near Arnhem in 2024.
The boy, from Friesland, was given a three-month suspended juvenile detention sentence with a two-year probation period, according to Dutch news outlet NOS. He must also undergo treatment at the National Support Centre for Extremism. At the time of the offences, he was 12 and 13 years old, regional broadcaster Omrop Fryslân reported.
It remains unclear why the boy selected the Flemish Parliament and the air base in Gelderland as targets.
According to the court, the teenager set up a Telegram group in 2023 in which he encouraged others to carry out terrorist attacks. He also offered money to an individual to conduct an attack in Brussels, although that person later stopped responding.
The ruling states that the boy adhered to right-wing extremist ideology, advocating a race war and the creation of a white ethnostate. Unable or unwilling to share these views with those around him, he instead connected with like-minded individuals online via Telegram.
As part of the sentence, the boy will not have his mobile phone returned.
#FlandersNewsService | The Flemish Parliament in Brussels, March 2026 © BELGA PHOTO ELIAS ROM
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