The threat of a terrorist attack in the Netherlands has officially been scaled down from "substantial" to "limited", according to a government letter addressed to the lower house.

Justice Minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin and Interior Minister Guusje ter Horst, basing themselves on a report by the National Anti-Terrorism Co-ordinator, wrote that the likelihood of an attack is relatively small, but not to be fully excluded.

The threat level is now the lowest but one. It had been raised to "substantial" in March 2008 following the release of anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders' Fitna movie which criticised Islam's holy book, the Qur'an.

The Dutch intelligence service AIVD reported on Monday that the danger of jihadi networks has lessened. The Netherlands is no longer a preferred terrorist target, yet it is still a potential target. The reduced risk is also related to the disintegration of local terrorist networks owing to divisions and lack of leadership.

Photo: FlickR/David Silverline