Dutch police thwart major terror attack

Police in the Netherlands said Friday that seven men arrested the day before plotted a major extremist attack and had the weapons to carry it out. The men, led by a 34-year-old Iraqi national, are accused of planning to attack a large public event. Raids of their homes Thursday found five handguns, large amounts of explosives for vests, and 220 pounds of fertilizer that could have been used to make a car bomb, authorities said.

The investigation by multiple Dutch agencies began in April and culminated Thursday with a raid by 400 police in the cities of Arnhem and Weert. Prime Minister Mark Rutte expressed gratitude to the security services for the raids and said that while an attack had been foiled, the arrests “show how important it is that we remain alert.”