Hearing set for suspects in shooting of Dutch crime reporter
Two men suspected in the shooting of a celebrated Dutch crime reporter have a court hearing scheduled Friday, while the journalist is still fighting for his life in an Amsterdam hospital
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.Two men suspected in the shooting of a celebrated Dutch crime reporter have a court hearing scheduled Friday, while the journalist is still fighting for his life in an Amsterdam hospital.
Peter R. de Vries was shot in the head while walking to his car after a Tuesday night television appearance. The attack on de Vries, known for courageous reporting on the Dutch underworld, raised concerns around Europe about journalists’ safety and media freedom.
His condition has remained “unchanged” since the shooting, according to a statement from his family. A ceremony in de Vries' honor is planned for Friday afternoon at Amsterdam’s Westerkerk church, which is welcoming visitors to lights candles and to observe a moment of silence.
Dutch police said the the suspected shooter is a 21-year-old Dutchman, and a 35-year-old Polish man living in the Netherlands is accused of driving the getaway car. They were arrested not long after de Vries was wounded. The prosecution service has asked a judge overseeing Friday's hearing to keep them in custody for another 14 days while the investigation continues.
De Vries reported on the country’s most infamous crimes, from the 1983 kidnapping of a Heineken heir to his investigation into the 2005 murder of U.S. teenager Natalee Holloway while she was on holiday in the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba.
Most recently, he had been serving as an adviser and confidant to a witness in a major trial of alleged drug kingpin Ridouan Taghi. Taghi and 16 others are on trial for a series of murders, including the 2016 killing of a crime blogger who had reported on Taghi’s suspected criminal activities.
According to Dutch daily newspaper de Telegraaf, the 21-year-old suspect is the cousin of a member of Taghi’s organization who is serving a 13-year prison term for orchestrating a series of assassination attempts against rival gangs.
Taghi’s lawyer said her client was not involved in the journalist's shooting.
“There has been a flood of reports in the media about who is responsible for this terrible event. However, my client Ridouan Taghi has been referenced without any objective substantiation,” lawyer Inez Weski said in a statement Tuesday.
Two people linked to the witness de Vries was advising were killed in recent years: the witness' lawyer and his brother.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.