Princess Amalia of Orange is the heir to the Dutch throne.
Encrypted messages reveal the plans of these mafias to attack or kidnap Amalia de Orange and the Prime Minister, which has forced them to reinforce their security
A princess locked in her palace and a prime minister under round-the-clock surveillance. Threats from criminal organizations have become a matter of state in the Netherlands, after Dutch security forces intercepted several communications mentioning a possible attack or kidnapping of Princess Amalia of Orange and the head of government, Mark Rutte.
Authorities believe such an attack is possible, which has led to increased security around these two public figures, with round-the-clock surveillance. The princess has been transferred to the Huis ten Bosch palace, in The Hague, and she only leaves her home to go to university. «She no longer lives in Amsterdam and has practically not left home. This has enormous consequences in her life, she is not a student’s life, “her parents, Kings Guillermo and Máxima, informed the press. Prime Minister Rutte has also had to change her daily routines: she is no longer allowed to cycle to work, as he used to; and he has had to accept greater protection measures.
Rutte has had to stop commuting by bicycle after threats from organized crime /
The voice of alarm was given by the Dutch newspaper ‘De Telegraaf’ with an article in which it revealed that the names of the princess and the Dutch leader appeared in “encrypted messages” from organized crime. “The authorities have given great credibility to these threats and are not going to take any risk,” says the security expert and professor at the University of Leiden, Jelle van Buuren, who sees in these plans to attack state figures “an show of power» by criminal groups. He also sees it as possible that the kidnapping of the princess and the prime minister is aimed at “exchanging the hostages for currently imprisoned criminal leaders.”
A drug trafficking hub
The Netherlands is considered an international ‘hub’ for drug trafficking: it has an exceptional geographical location, with the exit through the port of Rotterdam and a very good connection with the rest of the continent. Lately, however, organized crime has become a “challenge” and “a threat to society and institutions due to corruption, the mixture of the legal and illegal business world, and the enormous amounts of money these organizations are investing in the economy,” says Van Buuren.
Despite not yet having as strong roots in the economic and institutional sphere as, for example, the Italian mafia, Dutch organized crime uses terror and intimidation to maintain control in the country. “Threats from these organizations have become part of the country’s political agenda and some public figures – journalists, scientists, politicians – have been subjected to hate speech, intimidation and violence.”
The bouquets pay tribute to the journalist Peter R. de Vries after he was assassinated in Amsterdam /
In July 2021, investigative reporter Peter R. de Vries was shot dead by these gangs. His murder, in the center of Amsterdam and in broad daylight, shocked society. “For the authorities it was a hard lesson, since what seemed unthinkable became reality,” says the expert. The case is also related to two other murders, that of the key witness to the crime and that of his lawyer.
The Dutch authorities are working to develop initiatives to counteract the influence of organized crime in the country, but it is not an easy battle. Meanwhile, the number of people who need constant protection and surveillance is growing, due to their relationship with the fight against these organizations or their judicial persecution. A threat from which no one is spared, not even the royal house or the head of government.