The Netherlands strengthens the security of its prime minister due to the threat of an attack by organized crime

Acting Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte's security team has been bolstered by the threat of an organized crime attack.

According to sources quoted by the newspaper

, members of the mafia are closely following in the footsteps of the interim head of the Netherlands Government and there is a risk of an attack or kidnapping, something that has alerted the country's authorities

The first measure, reports the newspaper, has been the mobilization of police officers from the Royal and Diplomatic Security Service (DKDB).

The spokesmen for the Presidency of the Government (RVD, in its Dutch acronym) and the national coordinator for the fight against terrorism have declined, for the moment, to comment on the matter.

It is known in the Netherlands that Prime Minister Rutte used to travel on foot or by bicycle through The Hague, where the headquarters of the Government, Parliament and the Crown are located.

He could be seen buying a sandwich near his office, in the city center, and even having a drink on a nearby terrace.

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On July 6, the journalist Peter R. de Vries was shot on a street in Amsterdam. The reporter, recognized for his investigations into the so-called Mocro Mafia, died a week later. The attack against De Vries sparked a national debate on the type of security that journalists specializing in organized crime cases should have, but also politicians and lawyers. The far-right leader Geert Wilders, threatened by his outright rejection of Islam, has bodyguards who protect him day and night.

Due to its strategic geographical position and the port of Rotterdam - the largest in Europe - the Netherlands has become one of the main routes of entry for cocaine arriving from Latin America. The same newspaper points out that members of organized crime who follow in Rutte's footsteps could have played a relevant role in the attack against De Vries, and against the lawyer Derk Wiersum. The latter was shot dead in September 2019 near his home in the Dutch capital. He represented Nabil B., a witness in the so-called

, the

against 16 suspects of multiple murders and assassination attempts orchestrated by the Mocro Mafia.

The criminal organization, made up mostly of Dutch of Moroccan origin (hence Mocro), also has West Indian and Albanian citizens who traffic cocaine and synthetic drugs through Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands and Belgium, according to the police.

Following the murder of the lawyer, protection was assigned to at least thirty people, including judges and prosecutors.

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