One of the absolute benefits of the Van Gogh trial is the fact that in Mohammed Bouyeri we have pure, unrefined jihadist material at our disposal like we have never had it before. The 9/11 hijackers perished together with their innocent victims, many hardcore al-Qaeda and Taliban members have been killed in Afghanistan, the al-Zarqawi division in Iraq is decimated regularly, a number of the Madrid bombers equally perished to the afterlife, and there’s no sign of the London attackers as of yet. What we have been able to incarcerate so far in my opinion is second-tier material, a number of the residents of Gitmo have started talking and some of them have even been released. Not so with Bouyeri, who is likely to remain behind bars forever, silently. And although he won’t say anything and refuses to co-operate, just by observing him we can paint a pretty scary picture, one that reminds us again of what we're actually fighting.

First, take a look at the evidence found after his arrest, as described during the court session yesterday:

Islam-expert Peters declared before the court that Bouyeri is obsessed by death, violence and mutilation. He was able to deduct that from the documents found in the house of the defendant. The police discovered texts calling for the death of infidels and CD-Roms with horrific scenes of mutilations, amputations, and liquidations.

It’s hard probably for any of us to imagine how someone is able to put a bomb on the local bus, but for some of the jihadists borrowing from Dr. Lecter’s handbook is all part of a day's work. They have internalized the notion that these horrendous forms of slaughter are ultimately a force for good, in fact carrying them out may actually feel good.

That brings us to the second observation and that is the religious zeal and commitment which trumps absolutely everything, even the opportunity to find a way to get a lenient sentence out of justice system known for its ability to look after the well-being of defendants. The journey through the Dutch justice system is in fact a last opportunity to make a stand and Bouyeri used it well by uttering only a few key sentences and instructing his lawyers not to defend him. No earthly justice for him, thank you. The one thing Bouyeri did say after the judge prompted him by asking how it was possible that he became such a radical in the relatively short time span of two years was:

“the only thing I can answer to that is that I pray to my Lord everyday. That he keeps me from thinking in any other way than I do now”

Bouyeri will never talk. He has accepted the likelihood of a life behind bars knowing that he is fulfilling the mission of his Lord. It’s nothing new but it’s just chilling to see it this close, and, alive.

UPDATE: Here's a translation of an article that has looked at the psychiatric report that was presented to the court yesterday.