The Murder of Theo Van Gogh

Threatening Letters

At the time of Bouyeri's arrest, he was found carrying an alleged suicide note, indicating that he probably expected to be martyred for his crime. The poem, titled "Baptized in Blood" reads as follows (Translation by N. Szalata, the Netherlands):

Baptized in Blood

This is then my last word...
Penetrated by bullets...
Baptized in blood
As I had hoped for

I leave a message
For you...the fighter...
The tree of Tawheed awaits you...
Yearning for your blood...
Accept the deal...
And Allah will not stand in your way...
He will give you the Garden
In place of the earthly ruin.

I also have a word to the enemy...
You will certainly come off badly...
Even if you go all over the world on Tour...
Death will be on the look out...
The Knights of Death are hard on your heels...
Who will color the streets Red.

To the hypocrites, I say this in conclusion...
Wish for death or else keep your mouth shut and...sit.

Dear brothers and sisters, I am near my end
But by this, the story is certainly far from over.

Flower memorial to Theo Van Gogh

Bouyeri also left a 5-page letter on Theo's body, which threatened Dutch MP Ayaan Hirsi Ali and also mentioning several other Dutch political figures, including the Amsterdam Mayor Job Cohen and Liberal parliamentary speaker Jozias van Artsen. Expatica.com reported in a November 5, 2004 article that "the letter accused the Somali-born MP (Ayaan Hirsi Ali) of not only turning her back on the truth but also aligning herself with the forces of evil, which the letter indicated to be "her Jewish masters" and the government. The letter further threatened that she, along with the United States, Europe, The Netherlands and other "non-believers of Islam were "going to meet with disaster."

Letters by Bouyeri

According to Expatica.com, experts who examined the letter claim that its "style indicated that it originates from an extremist Islamic group with links to terror network al-Qaeda." However, Bouyeri's association to the infamous terror organization has not, as of yet, been officially confirmed. Since his capture, Bouyeri refuses to reveal information concerning the murder and his relationship with other Islamic fundamentalists.

Police have conducted a search of Bouyeri's Amsterdam apartment, confiscating his computers, videos and radical Islamic literature. Approximately four other houses were searched in connection to the murder. Police investigators have also arrested eight suspects believed to be linked to the Hofstad Network and involved in the murder plot. The alleged leader of the group, Redouan al-Issar, has since fled capture and his whereabouts remain unknown.

Two of the detained suspects were released several days after Theo's murder due to lack of evidence. The other six suspects, all of whom are Islamic radicals of North African descent and aged between 19 and 27 years old, remain in custody, Anthony Deutsch reported in a November 6, 2004 AP article. Expatica.com wrote in November 4, 2004 that the Dutch intelligence service, AIVD, claimed that, "the suspects were in contact with the brain behind the 16 May 2003 Casablanca attacks," alleged to be Islamic extremist Abdeladim Akoudad.

Terrorist attack, Casablanca

The six suspects will be charged with conspiring to commit murder. Bouyeri faces up to six charges, including taking part in a "criminal organization with terrorist characteristics," AP Worldstream reported. He will be prosecuted under the European Union's new terrorist laws. It is unclear when the trial will be scheduled yet it is expected to take place as early as spring/summer 2005.