Martine van den Oever

Martine van den Oever (born 1979) was arrested together with Nouredine el Fahtni and his wife, Soumaya Sahla, on 22 June 2005 on suspicion of being a member of the terrorist organisation Hofstad Network, based in the Netherlands. She was released after six weeks due to what the Public Prosecution called "personal reasons", but remained a suspect. Police found by her a goodbye letter in which she announces an important event [ [http://www.elsevier.nl/nieuws/nederland/artikel/asp/artnr/57895/index.html Nederlandse moslima Van den O. vrijgelaten] , Elsevier, August 3, 2005]

Van den Oever, from Naaldwijk, is of Dutch descent and nationality. She was brought up as a Christian, but converted to Islam when she was 18 after being introduced to the religion by Moroccan schoolmates. [ [http://www.elsevier.nl/nieuws/nederland/artikel/asp/artnr/57895/index.html Nederlandse moslima Van den O. vrijgelaten] , Elsevier, August 3, 2005] After a visit to Syria, where she studied Islam, she started wearing a veil, of which she got more criticism from Muslims than from non-Muslims when she returned to the Netherlands. [ [http://frontpage.fok.nl/nieuws/57773 Martine van den O.: Ik keur terreur af] , FOK!, September 17, 2005]

In the judicial proceedings against the Hofstad Network, she is still considered a suspect. However, she declared on the Netwerk program on Dutch national TV that she is not connected to any terrorist activity and that she rejects terrorism. She said her goodbye letter was a letter she had written long ago when she was going on a humanitarian mission to the Palestinian territories. The letter contained a telephone number which had been disconnected for the past two years. [ [http://frontpage.fok.nl/nieuws/57773 Martine van den O.: Ik keur terreur af] , FOK!, September 17, 2005]

Before she converted and became Muslim, she worked for the Dutch police force. [ [http://www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/article140887.ece/Hollandse_Martine_actief_voor_jihad Hollandse Martine actief voor jihad] , Volkskrant, July 6, 2005]

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