A 23-year-old Dutch Muslim convert from The Hague has been jailed for 31 months, 12 suspended, for attempting twice to travel to Syria and carry out terrorist attacks.

Martijn N first attempted to reach Syria in 2013 but was picked up in Turkey and sent back. He made a second attempt at the start of 2016 and was again stopped in Turkey.

Judges in The Hague said the sentence was so long because N had twice tried to go to Syria even though he knew he was attempting to do something which is against the law.

N, who has a Dutch father and Tanzanian mother, first became involved in Islam when he was 18. He made his second attempt to reach Syria on an ID card because his passport had been cancelled.