Dutch acted on ‘concrete’ info of planned attack

DUTCHpoliceyesterdaystepped up a probe into a planned terror attack against a Rotterdam concert by a US rock band, having received a “concrete” tip-off from Spanish authorities.

“There was concrete information from the Spanish police that an attack would be committed on that date, at this place and against this rock band,” the port city’s Police Chief Frank Paauw told reporters.

Spain was rocked last week by twin vehicle attacks which killed 15 people and wounded 120, but it remained unclear whether the tip-off to the Dutch came before or after Spanish police began investigating the incidents.

After cancelling a planned concert by the Californian band Allah-Las in Rotterdam, Dutch police swooped on a house in the southern Brabant region before dawn yesterday “and arrested a 22-year-old man regarding the terror threat on Wednesday evening in Rotterdam”.

They also carried out “an extensive search” of the premises, police said in a statement.

But there were growing doubts that another man, arrested late on Wednesday in the port driving a van with Spanish licence plates and carrying gas canisters close to the Maassilo concert hall, was linked to the terror threat. The van driver, a mechanic who“appeared to be under the influence of an alcoholic substance, was detained and transferred to a police facility” on Wednesday, police said, adding officers had found a “couple of gas canisters” in his van.

“His house was searched last night and no link with the terror threat was found. The man is still detained and will be questioned when sober,” police said in an English statement.

While Spanish police appeared to rule the man out of the inquiry, Paauw said his team were still investigating but it seemed likely “the man had had the bad luck to be in the wrong place at the wrong time”.

Spanish police said on Thursday they had identified the remains of the last suspected member of the cell believed to have carried out the August 17 attacks in northeastern Spain.

Youssef Aalla died in an accidental blast at the jihadists’ bomb factory on the eve of the assault.

The blast forced the group to use vehicles instead as weapons, ploughing into pedestrians on Barcelona’s busy Las Ramblas boulevard and a promenade in the resort of Cambrils.

OnWednesday Dutch authorities decided to cancel the AllahLas concert after the tip-off from Spanish police around 5:30pm.