IOn Tuesday night, reporter Peter R. de Vries was shot dead in Amsterdam. This was announced by the Dutch police. He was seriously injured and was taken to the hospital. There is a TV studio near the crime scene, and De Vries appeared in the live broadcast. At 7:30 in the evening, a stranger shot him in the street, apparently at close range. Algemeen Dagblad quoted witnesses and reported five shots. Several sources confirmed to the newspaper that a suspect has been arrested.
De Vries, 64, is the most famous crime journalist in the Netherlands. He has reported on many high-profile cases and had his own TV show before 2012. Recently, de Vries also actively acted as a media consultant for the key witness Nabil B.’s defense team in the so-called Marengo procedure.
Since March, 16 defendants have been on trial, including Ridouan Taghi, who was considered one of the most powerful drug dealers in the country before his arrest in Dubai in 2019. Taghi has been charged with six murders-and several other cases are under investigation. In 2018, the brother of the key witness was murdered. Then in 2019, his lawyer Derk Wiersum. The two defense lawyers now representing key witnesses in the Marengo trial are under police protection around the clock. De Vries is also protected at least temporarily, as there are signs that his life may also be in danger.
The police initially did not specify the likely background of the attack on Tuesday night. Algemeen Dagblad quoted a spokesperson as saying that people were first busy with hunting, forensics and emergency assistance. “Motivation and background will only play a role in the future.” The Prime Minister and Minister of Justice of the Netherlands, Ferd Grapperhaus (Ferd Grapperhaus) wanted to meet with the National Counter-Terrorism and Security Coordinator that evening to talk about crime.
