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Holland: Bombing of rock concert thwarted

Acting on a tip from Spain, Dutch police shut down a rock concert in Rotterdam, fearing an attempt by Islamic terrorists to attack the event.  

Police in Holland were continuing investigations Thursday regarding a threat to a concert venue that prompted the cancellation of a show by an American rock band and the arrest of the driver of a Spain-registered van found to contain gas canisters just a few hundred meters (yards) from the venue.

The concert by Los Angeles band Allah-Las in the port city of Rotterdam was called off Wednesday night after Spanish authorities tipped Dutch police about a possible threat to the event, which was to be attended by some 1,000 fans.

Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb said the warning came from Spanish police.

The band’s name, which incorporates Islam’s name for God, has reportedly angered Muslims.

In an interview with the Guardian last year, band members said they had chosen the name because they were seeking a “holy sounding” name and had not realized it might cause offence.

“We get emails from Muslims, here in the US and around the world, saying they’re offended, but that absolutely wasn’t our intention,” lead singer Miles Michaud told the Guardian. “We email back and explain why we chose the name and mainly they understand.”

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Two hours later police detained the driver of the van for questioning.

A Spanish counter-terrorism official said the van was not connected to the vehicle attacks that killed 15 people in Spain last week.

The official said Spain’s Civil Guard received “an alert indicating the possibility of an attack in a concert that was going to take place in Rotterdam.”

The Civil Guard shared the information with Dutch authorities Wednesday and was investigating the threat, said the source, who spoke anonymously because the Civil Guard was still probing the threat.

By: AP and World Israel News Staff