Overview
- Defendant Abderrahim el M., 66, told the Rotterdam court he never handed over state secrets and called the case a misunderstanding, claiming he had permission to work on documents at home, a claim former NCTV leaders dispute.
- He was arrested at Schiphol on 26 October 2023 en route to Morocco, with classified materials on USB sticks; searches later brought the total to roughly 900 state‑secret documents, including printed and scanned files found at his home.
- Investigators cite AIVD surveillance that filmed him printing with a colleague’s pass, message traffic referencing handing over “the medicine” or “a small thing,” frequent trips to Morocco in 2023 and phone numbers of senior Moroccan security officials on his phone.
- Internal reviews highlighted lax security at the NCTV and overly broad information sharing by the AIVD; a colleague was arrested for lending login credentials and has said she knew nothing about any espionage.
- On day two, El M. said he felt in danger during nearly twenty months in custody, while prosecutors noted they intervened on a planned two‑person cell; the prosecution’s sentencing demand is due this afternoon, with the defense set to respond Friday.