8 Detained in Dutch Inquiry Into Killing of Filmmaker
Police arrested eight more suspected Islamic radicals Wednesday in their investigation of the slaying of a Dutch filmmaker who criticized Muslim customs.
Lawmakers questioned why authorities hadn’t kept tabs on the slaying suspect, who had a record of violent crime and contacts with a group under surveillance.
Theo Van Gogh was killed Tuesday while cycling in Amsterdam.
Six of the detainees are of Moroccan ancestry, one is Algerian, and one holds dual Spanish-Moroccan citizenship, prosecution spokeswoman Dop Kruimel said. The suspect arrested minutes after the slaying is a 26-year-old Amsterdam resident of Moroccan origin.
Kruimel said the eight had not been linked to the killing.
Mainstream Dutch Muslim groups condemned the slaying.
The Justice Ministry said the suspect in the killing of the 47-year-old filmmaker is a radical associated with Islamic fundamentalists on a watch list.
Police and witnesses said the attacker shot and stabbed Van Gogh, cut his throat and pinned a note to his chest.
Authorities didn’t release his name.
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