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Netherlands arrests 15 suspects for "spreading Islamic propaganda" on TikTok

The Netherlands

Photo: Associated Press

Fifteen people were arrested in the Netherlands on Tuesday on suspicion of spreading propaganda for the Islamic State on TikTok and trying to persuade people to carry out terrorist attacks, Dutch prosecutors said.

The arrests were made after it was discovered that a TikTok account was spreading large amounts of ISIS propaganda with Dutch subtitles, prosecutors said.

The TikTok posts, some with more than 100,000 views, encouraged people to join the Islamic State and glorified becoming a martyr for the violent Islamist group, they said.

Thirteen of the suspects are Syrian and four have Dutch citizenship, prosecutors said, implying that some had dual citizenship. Four are minors.

The suspects, aged 16 to 53, were detained in raids across the Netherlands, following the arrest last month of a man who prosecutors said was the main suspect.