Foreign
Dutch crime reporter De Vries shot in the head in Amsterdam
Published
3 years agoon
By
Vida Essel-LampteyCelebrity Dutch crime reporter Peter R. de Vries, known for his work in exposing the criminal underworld, is fighting for his life after being shot on an Amsterdam street, officials said on Tuesday.
Dutch broadcaster RTL said De Vries had just left its studio in downtown Amsterdam when one of five shots hit him in the head.
Three suspects were detained, including the possible shooter, police said. They declined to provide any details.
“He was seriously wounded and is fighting for his life,” Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema said in a televised news conference. “He is a national hero to us all. A rare, courageous journalist who tirelessly sought justice.”
Police cordoned off the area of the shooting near the downtown Leidseplein square. They are collecting video footage, witness statements and forensic evidence.
De Vries won an international Emmy Award in the current affairs category in 2008 for his work investigating the disappearance of teenager Natalee Holloway in Aruba in 2005.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte called the attack “shocking and incomprehensible. It was an attack on a courageous journalist and also an attack on the free press that is so critical to our democracy.”
“We are praying that he will survive,” he said.
Dutch broadcaster RTL said De Vries had just left its studio in downtown Amsterdam when one of five shots hit him in the head.
Amsterdam’s Parool newspaper published an image of the scene with several people gathered around a person lying on the ground.
De Vries, 64, is a celebrity in the Netherlands, as both a frequent commentator on television crime programs and an expert crime reporter with sources in both law enforcement and the underworld.
He is known in the Netherlands for investigative work on countless cases, notably following the 1983 kidnapping of beer magnate Freddy Heineken.
De Vries had received threats from the criminal underworld in the past in connection with several cases.
In 2013 Willem Holleeder, the Heineken kidnapper, was convicted of making threats against De Vries. Holleeder is currently serving a life sentence for his involvement in five murders.
In 2019 Ridouan Taghi, currently on trial for murder and drug trafficking, took the unusual step of making a public statement denying reports that he had threatened to have De Vries killed.
De Vries has been acting as a counselor, but not lawyer, to a state witness identified as Nabil B.
testifying in the case against Taghi and his alleged associates.
Nabil B.’s previous lawyer was shot and killed on an Amsterdam street in September 2019.
Source: CNN
You may like
-
Rwanda suspected serial killer arrested after bodies found in kitchen
-
US journalist arrested in Russia, accused of spying
-
Court denies suspects in Imoro Sheriff’s murder bail
-
US TV Journalist and child shot dead
-
Five killed in Israeli strike on Damascus
-
Lawyer of man who died at West Hills Mall gives Akufo-Addo 7 days to sack IGP
Mahama leads NDC to mourn with Kufuor over wife’s passing
Former President John Dramani Mahama on Wednesday, October 4 led a delegation from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to visit...
Former First Lady of Ghana Theresa Kufuor reported dead
The former First Lady of Ghana and wife of Ghana’s former President, John Agyekum Kufour, Mrs Theresa Kufuor has been...
The most powerful tool for change is the right to vote – Mahama
The 2024 flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, is rallying Ghanaains who have grown disillusioned with...
PFJ was a mere state resource looting platform – Minority
The Minority has descended heavily on the Akufo-Addo-led government for launching a second phase of the flagship Planting for Food...
ECOWAS is desecrating Ghana
The Director of Legal Affairs of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Abraham Amaliba has said the Economy Community of...
Prof Gyampo elected President of UTAG, University of Ghana branch
A Senior Lecturer at the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana (Legon), Prof Ransford Gyampo have been elected...