A former soldier who converted to Islam has not been trying to recruit former colleagues at the Volkel airbase to take part in jihad, the defence ministry said on Friday afternoon.

The Telegraaf said on Friday morning a former member of the armed forces had made threatening overtures to people serving at the base, and that the matter had been reported to the security services.

The military security service MIVD investigated the claims and, according to the defence ministry, ‘found no reason to assume this was about recruitment for violent jihad’.

The MIVD said the man had ‘normal contacts’ with some of his former colleagues.

The Netherlands has sent eight F-16 fighter jets, normally based in Volkel, to take part in the allied bombardment of Islamic State militia in Iraq.