Man confesses to Van Gogh killing

[Ferran]

Man confesses to Van Gogh killing

Tuesday, July 12, 2005; Posted: 8:49 a.m. EDT (12:49 GMT)


Bouyeri said he murdered the filmmaker "out of conviction."

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (Reuters) -- A Dutch-Moroccan man confessed in court on Tuesday to murdering a filmmaker critical of Islam, breaking his silence in a case that has stoked religious and racial tension in the Netherlands.

Mohammed Bouyeri was accused of killing Theo van Gogh as he cycled to work in Amsterdam on Nov. 2, 2004. He was charged with shooting and stabbing Van Gogh before cutting his throat and leaving a note pinned to his body with a knife.

"I want you to know that I acted out of conviction and not that I took his life because he was Dutch or because I was Moroccan and felt insulted," the 27-year-old suspected Islamist told Amsterdam District Court.

Van Gogh, a descendent of the brother of the 19th century Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh, was known for his outspoken criticism of Islam and angered many Muslims by making a film which accused Islam of condoning violence against women.

Bouyeri could face up to life in prison if found guilty of the murder. He faces other charges including the attempted murder of police officers and illegal possession of weapons. A verdict is due later this month.

Prosecutors say his acts had a terrorist intent and called for him to be jailed for life.

"I take full responsibility upon myself," Bouyeri told the court. "It would be cowardly if I hid here behind the rules of the game by saying nothing and to avoid the chance of receiving the maximum sentence."

Bouyeri, dressed in a black robe and black and white headscarf, had walked into court carrying a Koran. The bearded suspect earlier listened intently as prosecutors outlined their case and described the murder as a "cowardly" attack on a defenceless man.


Holy war

Prosecutors say Bouyeri, who waived the right to mount a defense, was a radical Muslim dedicated to a holy war against the enemies of Islam and had murdered Van Gogh to spread terror in the Netherlands.

"The cutting of Van Gogh's throat evokes beheadings in the Middle East, the wars in Chechnya, Afghanistan and Iraq," prosecutor Frits van Straelen told judges on the second day of Bouyeri's trial at an Amsterdam high-security court.

The prosecutor earlier read out detailed reports from witnesses to the killing, carried out during the morning rush hour in the Dutch capital.

Van Gogh's murder sparked a wave of attacks on mosques, religious schools and churches in a country once renowned for its tolerance, and raised questions about the integration of the almost 1 million Muslims living in the Netherlands.

Prosecutors have said the accused believed he was doing God's will and wanted to die a "martyr" at the hands of police. The suspect was injured in a gun battle with police before he was arrested in eastern Amsterdam shortly after the murder.

Bouyeri, who was born and grew up in Amsterdam, was accused of a premeditated attack. Prosecutors say he ignored Van Gogh's pleas for mercy.

The five-page note left pinned to him quoted the Koran and was addressed to Somali-born Dutch politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who wrote the script for Van Gogh's film "Submission" about violence against women. She went into hiding for weeks after the murder.


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Source: http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe...eut/index.html