Dutch Businessman Accused of Providing Chemicals to Prewar Iraq to Remain in Custody

Reversing an earlier ruling, a Dutch court Wednesday ordered that businessman Frans van Anraat should remain in custody pending trial on charges that he provided chemical weapons precursors to former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, according to the Associated Press (see GSN, Jan. 28).

Anraat is charged with aiding genocide by selling chemicals that were used in the 1988 chemical attack on Halabja that killed more than 5,000 people. He has acknowledged being involved in the sale, but argued it was not wrong or illegal, AP reported.

A preliminary hearing on the case has been scheduled for March 18 (Associated Press, Feb. 3).

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