The Dutch counterterror agency has raised the national threat alert to the second-highest level

By MIKE CORDER
Associated Press

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Dutch counterterrorism agency has lifted the country’s threat alert to its second-highest level and says the possibility of an attack in the country is now “substantial.” The announcement Tuesday marked the first time the threat level has been so high since the end of 2019. It came a week after the European Union’s home affairs commissioner warned that the continent faces a “huge risk of terrorist attacks” over the Christmas holiday period because of the fallout from the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The Dutch National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security also cited the Israel-Hamas war as one of the reasons for increasing its threat level.