These suspects were at the cradle of the spiral of violence among young Amsterdam improvements
Automatic fire from Kalashnikovs, set up in broad daylight in the early evening. A bullet through a child’s room, or through the home of a woman, who herself was missed by a hair. A family man who was shot dead because his car leaned on that of a criminal. A kidnapping where the hostage hung over a meat grinder.
People in their twenties die in the Staatsliedenbuurt with extreme violence. The severed head of a twenty-something on the sidewalk in front of a water pipe café in Amsterdam South. A leader who, unsuccessfully, tries to be taken from a prison by helicopter with a violent liberation campaign.
From 2012, Amsterdam was the scene of war scenes that were mainly labeled as ‘un-Dutch’. The detectives added that in one conflict between 16 (!) players were shot dead, and that 11 assassination attempts had also failed. On death lists circulating in either camp, 13 target names.
Eight targeted key players from one are on trial as of Monday for forming a murderous strategy organization that planned liquidations of seven rivals from the other – certainly not one of them prepared. With the case, the Justice Department also hopes to imprison the last key players in the matter for a long time (see box).
The motivation behind the extreme violence in the underworld was a conflict within a group that had torn apart in 2012, over 225 kilos of cocaine had disappeared from the port of Antwerp. One liquidation followed another. Revenge for revenge for revenge.
The metropolitan criminal investigation department was working overtime, and The Hague remained in a deep sleep for years to come.
After the computer servers of message encryptor Ennetcom, managed by a Dutchman, were brought down in Canada in 2016, the already existing picture of the conflicts was sometimes minutely colored.
The originals who carelessly receive their messages via Ennetcom had believed themselves unseen all these years, because the high-paying provider had promised that their mutual e-mails could never fall into the hands of third parties.
ruthless
Of the millions of messages produced, one mountain was about the Amsterdam underworld war. The texts, formulated in slang, but crystal clear, showed how far young people had started in their pursuit of money. Never before was it ever how in no time it was decided about life and death.
Unlike in the old Amsterdam underworld, perpetrators, especially those in their twenties and thirties, whose drug gangs have become ‘blocks’ mainly because of the international cocaine trade, were ‘blocks’.
The warring parties operated really professionally, but the perpetrators of the violence start and start in such a way that ordinary Amsterdammers have also started, or even killed the gunmen under high voltage.
Their professional side showed up in the car-mounted tanks in the war traffic, their targets based on murder, followed by the groups with ample disposal and in the command structures in which the leaders can never be acquired without intercepted messages.
Both camps had hiding places and stores (places) in anonymous housing stock in ordinary neighborhoods. For example, one camp had shelters in overview houses in Osdorp and Slotermeer. The other camp hid in tense situations, for example in an apartment in the Staatsliedenbuurt.
In criminal proceedings about liquidations, failed attacks and unexecuted murder plans, courts have already imposed very hefty sentences on many players in the conflict, often life imprisonment.
‘sweeping business’
In January, the execution players from one camp and again caused life sentences, again to life sentences, two executions and forming a death sentence. That happened in the ‘wipe case’ Himalaya, about five combined violence files. Here too, decrypted mutual messages form the core of the proof.
The case that begins Monday against the key players from the camp against which that group was fighting has been given the code name 13Maracane. The files show a photo of the famous Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro. In the corridors, the case is nevertheless called ’13 Moroccans’, because all but one of the suspects are Amsterdammers with Moroccan roots.
The presumed absolute leader of the camp that now stands, Houssine A. from De Pijp, ‘Hoes’, is often missing from the suspect’s bench. He has been living in Morocco for years.
A target that an attacker, but also his brother, described him in an interrogation as ‘the man behind the Play who directs his soldiers here (in the Netherlands)’.
Nobody knows about the secret rumor that Houssine A. enjoys the notorious Moroccan service, or even benefits from good ties with the royal family, as is also suggested in the 13Maracane file.
The unscrupulous violence has certainly not abated with the largely dismantling of the two warring camps in the underworld feud that flared up in 2012. Other forms of organizations took over their positions, and shocked the country with even more attacks, including on the upper world. In that sense, the Amsterdam underworld war formed the blueprint for the violence that is currently central to the mega-trial Marengo against Ridouan Taghi and 16 co-defendants.
The case in 13Maracane revolves around these suspects and suspicions
All but one of the suspects who will be on trial for at least 9 days from Monday in 13Maracane are righteous lids of a murderous organization. They all become findings of preparing attacks on concrete targets, 8 homicides in total.
Benoauf A. (38), ‘Ben’, money in the Netherlands as the pivot in the camp that is now on trial. He is serving a 12-year prison sentence for his role in the liquidation of the Amsterdam criminal Najeb Bouhbouh in 2012 in Antwerp. They count as the catalyst of the conflict, which allowed it to explode. Benoauf A. was supposed to be released after 8 years, but that ‘release’ has been canceled because he tried to be hoisted from the prison of Roermond on 11 October 2017 in a violent liberation attempt with a helicopter.
According to fair execution, he also committed violence from prison for 2.5 years, with smartphones that he secretly had.
He was charged in 13Maracane with being a member of the improved organization for the purpose of liquidations; preparing the murders of the brothers Chahid and Chafik Yakhlaf; preparing attacks on Naoufal’ F. in Berlin and rapper Jason L. from Amsterdam-Zuidoost, plus provoking the ‘tattookillers’ to kill head piece Etou’s Belserang of motorcycle gang Satudarah and David ‘Damascus’ H.. An advance of 75,000 euros was promised for the latter attack.
Hamid A. (33), ‘Bugs’ from ‘Frog’, on trial for membership of the perfect organization and the preparation of the liquidations of the brothers of Naoufal F., Samir Z., Etou’s Belserang and David H., plus the attempted attempt to blow up said Samstaatir Z. with a bomb under his scooter , the corresponding .
Jeffrey S. (32) stands trial for membership of the perfect organization and preparing the liquidations of Naoufal F. and Samir Z., plus that failed attempt to blow up Z..
Abdelghafour L. (43), ‘Appie Rotterdam’, stands trial for membership of the perfect organization and preparing the liquidations of Etou’s Belserang and David H.
Abdeslam el H. (39), ‘Appie Haarlem’, stands trial for membership in the perfect organization and preparing the Yakhlaf brothers’ liquidations.
Mohamed I. (36), ‘Clown’ from ‘Grizley’, stands trial for membership of the perfect organization and preparing the liquidations of brothers Yakhlaf, Etou’s Belserang and David H., Samir Z. and Jason L.
Jalal L. (32), stands trial for membership of the perfect organization and preparing the liquidations of brothers Yakhlaf, Naoufal F., David H. and Jason L.
Soufiane el H. (32) is on trial for provoking the liquidations of Etou’s Belserang and David H. by ‘the tattoos’.