'Cabinet is considering deploying soldiers in Marengo trial'

In order to be able to bolster the security measures surrounding the Marengo criminal trial, the cabinet is in talks with the Public Prosecution Service, the judiciary, the police and the mayors involved about the deployment of military personnel. Sources report this to the NOS . The Marengo trial against the main suspect Ridouan Taghi and sixteen co-defendants is one of several high-security criminal processes that place a heavy burden on the deployment of the police. Hundreds of agents are needed for a Marengo session alone.

The government is very concerned about this heavy extra task for the police, which will most likely continue or even expand in the coming years. This concerns guarding the courthouses, the transport of suspects to and from the prisons and personal protection of lawyers, judges, public prosecutors and witnesses. The armed forces, the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee, are already deployed for various tasks related to criminal processes.