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Euronews
Euronews
Gavin Blackburn

Man detained for plotting attack on Dutch princesses with axe to appear in court

A 33-year-old man will appear in court next week after he was detained on suspicion of plotting an attack on two Dutch princesses, prosecutors said on Friday.

According to details in a court scheduling order published on the website of The Hague Public Prosecutor's Office, the man is suspected of preparing an attack on the 22-year-old heir to the Dutch throne, Princess Amalia, and her 20-year-old sister, Princess Alexia, in The Hague in February.

"The suspect was allegedly in possession of two axes in early February with the words 'Alexia,' 'Mossad' and 'Sieg Heil' carved into them, and he allegedly had a handwritten sheet with the words 'Amalia,' 'Alexia' and 'Bloodbath,'" the scheduling order said.

A spokesman for The Hague public prosecutor's office declined to provide further details on the case ahead of Monday's procedural hearing.

It was not clear where or when the man was arrested. The suspect’s name was not released, in line with Dutch privacy regulations.

Dutch King Willem-Alexander hugs his daughter Princess Alexia as they pose for the media in The Hague, 30 June, 2023 (Dutch King Willem-Alexander hugs his daughter Princess Alexia as they pose for the media in The Hague, 30 June, 2023)

The Royal House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Princess Amalia has faced threats before. The heir to the Dutch throne was forced in 2022 to give up Amsterdam’s student life and live at her parents’ palace due to threats believed to come from the criminal underworld.

Queen Maxima said at the time that Amalia "can't leave home" and that it has "enormous consequences for her life."

The eldest of the three Dutch princesses subsequently spent several months living in Madrid and later honoured the Spanish capital and its citizens for their hospitality by opening a tulip garden there.

In 2020, a man was convicted of threatening the princess and of sending threats via Instagram to the then-16-year-old Amalia and one of her friends.

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