Murderer of Dutch filmmaker van Gogh gets life term

July 26, 2005

Mohammed Bouyeri, a radical Islamist who was a member of the Hofstad Network, was sentenced to life in prison by a court in Amsterdam for the killing of the controversial filmmaker Theo van Gogh in November 2004.

Van Gogh was ambushed on an Amsterdam street and shot repeatedly in the chest before Bouyeri stabbed him and slit his throat. The judgment said that Bouyeri showed "complete disregard for human life" and butchered Van Gogh "mercilessly".

Bouyeri, a 27 year who holds joint Dutch-Moroccan citizenship, claimed he acted on behalf of Islam. He made a confession in the courtroom and vowed he would "do it again" if he had the chance.

Van Gogh had been a staunch critic of Islam and its perceived mistreatment of women. Van Gogh directed several movies critical of Islam, most notably Submission in which verses of the Qur'an were written on naked women's bodies.