Mohammed Bouyeri
Mohammed Bouyeri (b. March 8 1978) is the suspect in the murder of Theo van Gogh which occurred on november 2 2004. He holds both a Dutch and Moroccan nationality. His parents are first generation immigrants with a poor command of the Dutch language and limited contact with Dutch society. Under his nickname Abu Zubair, he did translate and write books. On the internet he often posted letters and sent e-mail under this nickname.
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Life
In 1995 Mohammed Bouyeri finished his secondary education and subsequently went on to the college "InHolland" in Diemen. He changed his major several times and left after five years without obtaining a degree. At an early age he was known to the police as a member of a group of Moroccan "problem-youth". For a while he worked as a volunteer at Eigenwijks, a neighbourhood organization in stadsdeel Slotervaart in Amsterdam. He started to radicalize shortly after his mother died and his father re-married In fall 2003. The September 11 attacks and the war in Iraq contributed to his radicalization. He started to live according to strict Islamic rules. As a result he could perform less and less tasks at Eigenwijks. For example, he refused to serve alcohol and did not want to be present at activities attended by both women and men. Finally he put an end to his activities at Eigenwijks altogether. He grew a beard and began to wear a djellaba. He frequently visited the El Tawheed mosque where he met other radical muslims, among whom the terrorism suspect Samir A.. With them he is said to have formed the Hofstad Network, a Dutch terrorist cell.
Arrest
Mohammed Bouyeri was arrested on november 2 2004 shortly after the death of Theo van Gogh and close to the scene of the crime after an exchange of gunfire with the police in which he was shot in his leg. He receives legal assistance from lawyer Peter Plasman and in his interrogations uses his right to remain silent. On November 11 public prosecutor Leo de Wit accused him of six criminal acts: murder, attempted murder (of a police officer), attempted manslaughter (of passersby/bystanders and/or police officers), violation of the law on gun-control, suspicion of participation in a criminal organisation with terrorist aims and conspiracy to murder with a terrorist purpose of Van Gogh, member of parliament Ayaan Hirsi Ali and/or others.
When arrested, Bouyeri had on him a farewell poem with the title In bloed gedoopt (Immersed/baptised in blood) from which it appears he intended to die as a martyr. The poem contains the following lines 1:
- BAPTIZED IN BLOOD
- So these are my last words
- riddled with bullets
- baptized in blood
- as I had hoped.
- I am leaving a message
- for you the fighter
- the Tawheed tree is waiting
- yearning for your blood
- enter the bargain
- and Allah opens the way
- He gives you a garden
- instead of the Earthly rubble.
- To the enemy I say
- You will surely die
- Wherever in the world you go
- Death is waiting for you
- Chased by the knights of DEATH
- who paint the streets with Red.
- For the hypocrites I have one final word
- Wish DEATH or hold your tongue and sit.
- Dear Brothers and Sisters, my end is nigh
- But this does not end the story. [[1]]
Pinned to the body of Van Gogh with a smaller knife, Bouyeri left a second letter, consisting of five pages, in which Hirsi Ali, the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and politicians in general are warned. It contains repeated references to alleged Jewish influences in politics. The letter refers to the fundamentalist ideology of the Takfir wal-Hijra. This letter probably wasn't written by Mohammed Bouyeri himself, but by his group's ideologist. It was signed Saifu Deen al-Muwahhied.
Notes
[1] the Dutch text is as follows:
- Dit is dan mijn laatste woord...
- Door kogels doorboord...
- In bloed gedoopt...
- Zoals ik had gehoopt
Image of original note on Dutch Wikipedia
External links
- Text of the farewell poem at Indymedia
- Photo of Mohammed Bouyeri at the Dutch TV-program "Opsporing Verzocht": Photo
Sources: De Telegraaf, Trouw, NRC Handelsblad, ANP.
The original version of this page is a translation of nl:Mohammed Bouyeri
Categories: 1978 births | Dutch people