Thirteen years in prison for attempted murder in Zaandam
The court finds a planned attack proven, but acquits the gunman of acting jointly with others.
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Noord-Holland District Court sentenced Mouslim A. to thirteen years in prison on Thursday for an attempted murder in Zaandam. The Public Prosecution Service had sought eighteen years. The shooting took place on 10 July 2025.
The new development in the case is the judgment of 15 October. The court found it proven that A. had shot a man with premeditation and had consciously accepted the risk of killing him. The victim survived the attack. The judge imposed a shorter sentence than the prosecutor had requested, but still handed down a lengthy prison term with no part suspended.
During the trial, there was no dispute over whether A. had fired the shots, NH Nieuws reports. The dispute centred mainly on his intention. A. maintained that he had wanted to injure the victim in revenge for violence against family members. The Public Prosecution Service found that explanation unconvincing and regarded him as a professional contract killer. The prosecutor's account must be distinguished from what the court ultimately found proven.
Both the shooting and the preparations were significant in establishing the offence. According to reports of the judgment, A. had scouted the area and purchased equipment to track the victim. He also used false identities. The court saw this as evidence of a methodical approach. It ruled that A. had acted with premeditation and had consciously accepted a fatal outcome, even though he continued to insist that killing had not been his intention.
A separate element of the charge was not upheld: acting jointly with others. This means that the court found insufficient evidence of the close and conscious cooperation with others legally required to establish joint perpetration of the attempted murder. That acquittal does not negate the finding that A.'s own actions were proven. The distinction prevents suspicions about the involvement of others from being presented as proven joint perpetration in this judgment.
The case was heard in Vught, where A. is held in the Extra Beveiligde Inrichting maximum-security prison unit. According to NH Nieuws, that choice was related to security: it meant he did not have to be transported to Noord-Holland for the hearing. The regional broadcaster also reports that he had previously been convicted in Belgium and had escaped from a prison there. He was later arrested in Germany.
In determining the sentence, the court took account of the seriousness of the attack and its consequences for the victim. It also considered sentences in comparable cases. The judgment stipulates that the time A. has already spent in detention pending surrender and in pre-trial custody will be deducted from his prison sentence. The sources consulted do not establish whether an appeal has been lodged. It therefore cannot yet be reported that the conviction is final.
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Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The judgment of 15 October 2026 falls within the news period and confirms the core of the report. The Public Prosecution Service's position, the convicted man's statement and the court's findings have been kept separate.
- confirmed Judgment on 15 October: thirteen years for attempted murder; eighteen years sought. — Judgment and sentencing reasons. source
- confirmed The shooting took place on 10 July 2025; the victim survived. — Both news reports confirm this. source
- confirmed Preparation and conditional intent proven; acquittal on joint perpetration. — The report is consistent with the text of the judgment. source
- confirmed A. cited revenge for his family; the Public Prosecution Service described a contract killing. — Confirmed as positions taken during the trial, not as an established motive. source
- confirmed Hearing in Vught, previous Belgian conviction and escape, arrest in Germany. — Regional court reporting. source
- confirmed Seriousness, consequences and comparable sentences taken into account; previous detention will be deducted. — The court's sentencing reasons. source
Editor's note
The judgment and independent regional reporting confirm the sentence. The text of the judgment was read via Lexboost; an appeal has not been established. Age, precise location and details of the violence have been omitted.Sources
- ECLI:NL:RBNHO:2026:14090 — uitspraak rechtbank Noord-Holland — Rechtbank Noord-Holland, weergegeven door Lexboost
- Dertien jaar cel voor Rus die man neerschoot in Zaandam — NH Nieuws
- 13 jaar cel voor mislukte huurmoord in Zaandam — Moordplekken.nl
More on this in Dutch media
- de Volkskrant — „zaandam rechtbank noord-holland”
- RTL Nieuws — „zaandam rechtbank noord-holland”
- NOS — „zaandam rechtbank noord-holland”