Dutch police arrest suspect in Van Gogh, Frans Hals thefts
Dutch police have arrested a suspect in the theft last year of two valuable paintings by Vincent van Gogh and Frans Hals from two different museums
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Dutch police said Tuesday they have arrested a suspect in the theft last year of two valuable paintings by Vincent van Gogh and Frans Hals from two different museums. The paintings, however, remain missing.
In a statement posted on Twitter police spokeswoman Maren Wonder said a 58-year-old man was arrested at his home in the Dutch town of Baarn. His identity was not released, in line with Dutch privacy guidelines.
“Unfortunately we haven’t yet recovered the paintings and the investigation is continuing,” Wonder said. She called the arrest “a really important step in the investigation.”
“The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring 1884” by Van Gogh was snatched from the Singer Laren museum east of Amsterdam in the early hours of March 30. The museum was closed at the time due to a coronavirus lockdown.
The Hals work, “Two Laughing Boys,” was stolen some five months later from Museum Hofje van Mevrouw van Aerden in Leerdam, 60 kilometers (about 35 miles) south of Amsterdam.