Suspected assassin may have links to al-Qaida

An Islamic radical suspected of shooting and slitting the throat of renowned Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh has been quizzed by police who suspect he has ties with al-Qaida.

The 26-year-old Dutch-Moroccan suspect, identified only as Mohammed B, was arrested minutes after Van Gogh’s murder in an Amsterdam street. The suspect had a pistol in his pocket and was shot in the leg by police during a chase through a park.

Van Gogh had received death threats after the release of his latest film Submission which criticised the treatment of women in Islam.

Eight other suspects aged 19-27, believed to be Islamic fundamentalists plotting a terrorist attack, remain in custody, said prosecution spokeswoman Dop Kruimel.

The main suspected has a record of violent offences, and moved in a circle of radical Islamic fundamentalists, police said.

Kruimel said evidence retrieved from the crime scene and raids of five Amsterdam homes supported accusations of fundamentalism.

Van Gogh was shot several times with a pistol at close range, his throat was slit, and a five-page note was jammed to his chest with a second knife.

Dutch media reported it was written in Arabic and was a call for Jihad against non-Muslims. The attacker also reportedly had a testament in his pocket, indicating he anticipated being killed in the attack.

Investigations have not ruled out the possibility that Mohammed B has links to the Salafia Jihadia group, held responsible for a Casablanca bombing, or al-Qaida, she said.