AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, June 23 (UPI) -- The Netherlands faces a substantial threat from terrorist activity related to its military involvement in Afghanistan, a threat assessment states.
An assessment by the National Anti-terrorism Coordinator found a "substantial" threat level exists for the Netherlands stemming from involvement in Afghanistan and perceived insults to Islam, NIS, the English-language Dutch news service, reports.
The Netherlands has witnessed backlash from Islamic radicals over a series of controversial accounts of perceived insults to the Islamic faith.
Artist Theo Van Gogh was brutally murdered in 2004 on the streets in The Hague in reaction to his film "Submissions," which depicts Koranic verses over the naked bodies of women.
The anti-terrorism report notes accounts of "a very limited" number of Dutch nationals traveling to Pakistan and Afghanistan to take part in terrorist activities targeting the international presence there.
Domestically, the report says the transnational Hizb ut-Tahrir political movement may be expanding in the Netherlands, seeking to promote an "activist" message among Islamic higher educational facilities in the country.
Reports released Monday suggest Hizb ut-Tahrir may be gearing up for a defensive jihad in the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
