Two lawyers have pulled out of one the Netherlands’ biggest terrorism cases because they are worried their involvement will have an impact on travelling to the US, RTL Nieuws said on Thursday.

‘I do not want to be limited in where I travel,’ one told the broadcaster. ‘If I continue with this criminal case, there is a real risk this could happen.’

A colleague of the duo, who went public with his own US visa problems on Wednesday, later confirmed their decision to quit to the NRC. Serge Weening is one of the lawyers involved in the defence of an alleged terrorist cell rolled up last September.

Weening and his girlfriend were planning a holiday in Miami but his application for an ESTA permit was rejected three days after it was made, Weening said on Wednesday. Attempts to apply for a formal visa at the US embassy in Wassenaar also failed.

The American embassy in Wassenaar told DutchNews.nl that it could not comment on individual cases.