'More Dutch jihadists travelling to Iraq'

The Hague: The number of Dutch jihadists travelling to Iraq is on the rise, the Dutch Minister of Interior Ronald Plasterk said on Friday after a cabinet meeting.

Though Pasterk did not give numbers, during a press confernce he described the figures "worrying" and a "substantial threat" , Xinhua reported.

Next week more figures will be announced in a new report on jihadism by the Dutch Intelligence Service.

At least one Dutch jihadist conducted a suicide attack in Iraq, Plasterk already said in April.

According to media reports, about 130 Dutch jihadists recently travelled to Syria and Iraq. They have been involved in heavy fighting and sometimes in atrocities. Of these people about 30 have returned.

There are particular concerns about the number of returning jihadists. Last month, a suspected French jihadist, having travelled to Syria, killed three people at the Jewish Museum in Brussels.