Dutchman sentenced to two years in jail for financing jihadist brother in Syria

A Dutchman was sentenced to two years in prison for financing his brother who has joined the Islamic State (IS) in Syria as a jihadist fighter, the court of Rotterdam ruled on Tuesday.

With several payments done in 2013 and 2014 through intermediaries in Turkey via money transfer offices, the 28-year-old man living in Dordrecht has sent a total of some 17,000 euro (18,883.60 U.S. dollars) to his brother in Syria. The Public Prosecutor two weeks ago demanded a sentence of 30 months in prison.

Under the Dutch law, sending money to people who have gone to fight in Syria is illegal under all circumstances, even if this money is not used directly for committing terrorist crimes. The court did not accept the defender's argument that the money was meant for food or return to the Netherlands.

The verdict said that by sending money to his brother, the Dutchman has contributed to the further destabilization and insecurity in Syria. It is commonly known that jihadist groups in Syria are guilty of human rights violations, the suspect by his conduct is therefore found guilty of serious crimes, said the court.

The man was exposed when he wanted to transfer more than 2,000 euros (2,221.60 U.S. dollar) at once. A transfer of this kind of high amount of money is deemed unusual and is therefore reported to the police.

His brother, who is on the Dutch national terrorism list since September 2014, was sentenced by the court of Amsterdam to six years of prison in absentia in December 2015.

However, the Dutchman kept sending money to his brother even after September 2014. Providing funds to individuals on this list is a criminal offence.

There are about 150 Dutch jihadists in Syria, according to Dutch National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security (NCTV).

Earlier in February, three Dutch individuals were sentenced to prison for financing and participating in terrorist organisation. Endit