the attack, Bouyeri went to a park nearby, where he had a shootout with police before being taken into custody. Witnesses said that Bouyeri had been stalking his route for some time before the attack had happened. After the attack, the police then spent the greater 10 days arresting the group members. One group member who acted as the religious teacher for the group fled the country the day of Van Gogh's murder and entered Syria illegally. Shortly after the murder of Van Gogh by Bouyeri in November 2004, the organization gained attention from national media when an attempt to arrest suspected members Jason Walters and Ismail Akhnikh led to a 14-hour siege of a house in The Hague. During these events, the name Hofstad Network became public and the media has continued to use this moniker to refer to the organization. In the months after the siege, a number of other suspected members of the organization were arrested. On 5 December 2005, the Hofstad court case against 14 suspected members started. Samir Azzouz, Jermaine Walters —suspected but not incarcerated— and another five members were arrested on suspicion of preparing an attack against (yet unnamed) national politicians and the building of the General Intelligence and Security Agency AIVD on 14 October 2005. In a case known as Piranha case, six individuals were brought to court, one of them was Noureddine El Fahtni. On 1 December 2006 the District Court of Rotterdam sentenced Azzouz to 8 years in prison for preparing a terrorist attack. Noureddine El Fahtni and Mohammed Chentouf to 4 years each, Soumaya Sahla to 3 years and Brahim Harhour to 3 months. One suspect was acquitted. The Court ruled that the six individuals had not formed a terrorist organization. In appeal, the Court in The Hague convicted all defendants to higher sentences. On 2 October 2008, Samir Azzouz was sentenced to 9 years in prison, Nouriddin El Fahtni was sentenced to 8 years, Mohammed Chentouf was sentenced to 6;6 years in prison, Soumaya Sahla was sentenced to 4 years in prison. So far the Piranha case. Trial (Hofstad group) District Court + appeal In 2005, fourteen alleged members of the Hofstad Network were brought to trial before the District Court in Rotterdam. During the trial, the presiding judge admitted that he felt as if it was obvious that arrest leading to the hearing had created a spectacle and