AMSTERDAM, 03/10/08 - The appeal court in The Hague ruled yesterday that the so-called Piranha network is a criminal organisation with a terrorist objective. Main suspect Samir Azzouz was sentenced to nine years in jail.

Azzouz participated in a terrorist organisation in which he had a coordinating role and which plotted terrorist attacks against politicians including Prime Minister Balkenende and MPs Geert Wilders and Jan Marijnissen. Evidence included a video testament in which he said goodbye to family and friends in October 2005, with an eye to his impending 'martyr's death.' Azzouz also recruited Jihad warriors, the appeal court established.

The judges gave an 8-year sentence to Nouredine el Fatmi. Like Azzouz, he was an active and leading member of the network. Mohammed Chentouf got 6 years, Soumaya Sahla, who was unofficially married to El Fatmi, got 4 years and a man described as Mohammed H. got three months in jai.

All suspects were 'homegrown' terrorists with Dutch and Moroccan passports. The Public Prosecutor (OM) has demanded sentences of up to 15 years in jail against them. Although the sentences were lower than those demanded, the OM was pleased that the appeal court decided the network was a terrorist organisation.

On 1 December 2006, a Rotterdam district court ruled that the Piranha suspects maintained insufficient structured contact among one another to be able to speak of a criminal organisation with a terrorist objective. The lower court did give Azzouz 8 years as it considered it proven that he - a 22 year old Moroccan born in Amsterdam - had advanced plans for attacks on politicians and the building of the AIVD secret service. Fellow-suspects El Fatmi, Chentouf and Salah were also found guilty of preparing terrorist attacks and got 4, 4 and 3 years at the time.

In another court case, the judges ruled earlier that the so-called Hofstad group was not beyond a reasonable doubt a terrorist organisation. El Fatmi was also in that network, whose leader Mohammed Bouyeri assassinated Islam-critic Theo van Gogh in November 2004. El Fatmi is serving a 5-year sentence for his Hofstad activities, including carrying a loaded machine gun in a rucksack.

Azzouz was arrested repeatedly for terrorist activities. The first time, he was caught on his way to Chechnya. He was charged with planning an attack in the Netherlands later, but was acquitted once again - he had bought the wrong fertiliser for his bomb recipe, so that his preparations were not advanced enough to prove a terrorist intent.

Bart Nooitgedagt, the defence for Sahla, said he was convinced the Supreme Court would annul yesterday's verdict. "I am betting my professional honour".