The Dutch police have arrested seven men suspected of plotting a terrorist attack in the Netherlands, the Dutch public prosecutor stated on Thursday.

　　The suspects have been arrested in Arnhem and Weert on Thursday afternoon. Three men are from Arnhem, two from Rotterdam, one from Huissen and one from Vlaardingen. They are all suspected of preparing a major terrorist attack in the Netherlands.

　　Dutch police officers conduct an investigation at the residence of an alleged jihadist in Arnhem, on September 27, 2018. [Photo: VCG]

　　The arrest is the result of a months-long criminal investigation about a group surrounding a 34-year-old man of Iraqi origin from Arnhem, who was already convicted in 2017 for attempting to travel to the Islamic State (IS)'s battlefield. The ages of his co-defendants vary from 21 to 34 years old. Two of them have also been convicted for an attempt to travel to battle for the IS.

　　The Dutch criminal investigation began in April 2018 following information from the Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD). According to the AIVD, the man from Arnhem planned an attack with his group at a large event in the Netherlands, allegedly on two different occasions, using bombs and Kalashnikov AK47s and to detonate a car bomb at another location. The exact goal is still under investigation.

　　The arrests were made by anti-terrorism teams of the Dutch Special Interventions Service (DSI), which was supported by observation teams and helicopters.