Rachid Belkacem was a Dutch

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 national, and a suspected member of the terrorist organisation Hofstad Network

Hofstad Network

The Hofstad Network is an Islamist group of mostly young Dutch Muslims of mainly Moroccan ancestry.The name "Hofstad" was originally the codename the Dutch secret service AIVD used for a set of individuals and leaked to the media...

. He was never convicted in court. His nickname was Abu Fadel, he was a friend of Mohammed Bouyeri

Mohammed Bouyeri

Mohammed Bouyeri is an Islamist Dutch–Moroccan and convicted murderer. He is currently serving a life sentence without parole for the assassination of Dutch film director Theo van Gogh. He holds both Dutch and Moroccan citizenship...

, the murderer of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh

Theo van Gogh (film director)

Theodoor "Theo" van Gogh was a Dutch film director, film producer, columnist, author and actor.Van Gogh worked with the Somali-born writer Ayaan Hirsi Ali to produce the film Submission, which criticized the treatment of women in Islam and aroused controversy among Muslims...

.

Belkacem was arrested in Whitechapel

Whitechapel

Whitechapel is a built-up inner city district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, London, England. It is located east of Charing Cross and roughly bounded by the Bishopsgate thoroughfare on the west, Fashion Street on the north, Brady Street and Cavell Street on the east and The Highway on the...

, London on 22 June 2005 on request of the Dutch authorities. Belkacems name arose in an investigation about people smuggling

People smuggling

People smuggling is defined as "the facilitation, transportation, attempted transportation or illegal entry of a person or persons across an international border, in violation of one or more countries laws, either clandestinely or through deception, such as the use of fraudulent documents"...

 in the Dutch province of Zeeland

Zeeland

Zeeland , also called Zealand in English, is the westernmost province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the south-west of the country, consists of a number of islands and a strip bordering Belgium. Its capital is Middelburg. With a population of about 380,000, its area is about...

. He was extradited on 2 August 2005. He was charged with being a member of a terrorist organisation. In addition he was charged with recruiting for armed struggle, several firearms offences and forging documents. Belkacem allegedly helped Redouan al-Issar

Redouan al-Issar

Redouan al-Issar was born in Syria in the late fifties or early sixties. He is by profession a geologist and a terrorist....

, spiritual leader of the Hofstad Network, flee the Netherlands on the day of the murder of Theo van Gogh.

Belkacem was released provisionally in March 2006, because the public prosecutor deemed an eventual conviction for membership of a terrorist organisation highly unlikely. In April he was acquitted of the illegal possession of a firearm.

In July 2006 Belkacem was found dead in his house in Zierikzee

Zierikzee

Zierikzee is a small city, located on the former island of Schouwen in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland, and lies about 26 km southwest of Hellevoetsluis....

. Friends and family claim he was poisoned. Police are investigating the circumstances of his death.