Dutch prosecutors have accused the suspected killer of filmmaker of playing a leading role in what they termed an Islamic terrorist cell known as the "Hofstad Group."
Prosecutors told a pre-trial hearing in Rotterdam Tuesday that Mohammed Bouyeri hosted several cell meetings during which he advocated the use of deadly violence.
Police arrested 12 suspected members of the Hofstad group, including Mr. Bouyeri, late last year and charged him with stabbing and shooting Mr. van Gogh, a filmmaker known for his criticism of Islam.
The murder sparked ethnic and religious tensions in the Netherlands. Mr. Bouyeri's lawyer says his client takes full responsibility for his actions. Tuesday, a court in the Netherlands sentenced a man to five months in prison, with three years suspended, for trying without success to set fire to a mosque three days after Mr. van Gogh's killing.
Some information for this report provided by Reuters and AFP.
