THE HAGUE: Dutch police arrested a third suspect in connection with the murder of a leading crime reporter who was shot dead last year outside an Amsterdam television studio, prosecutors and news reports said Monday.
Peter R. de Vries, 64, died nine days after he was shot in the head on July 6 2021, in a crime that prosecutors say was linked to his role in the trial of a Dutch drugs mafia kingpin.
The Public Prosecution Service identified the suspect as a 27-year-old Polish man and said he is “suspected of directing those who murdered De Vries”.
The Algemeen Dagblad daily tabloid said the suspect was detained on suspicion of committing another murder last October.
Two other suspects, Dutch man Delano G., 22, and Poland's Kamil E., 36, went on trial last month in connection with De Vries' murder.
Prosecutors accuse Delano G. of pulling the trigger and Kamil E. of driving the getaway car and carrying out surveillance prior to the shooting.
Judges are to hand down a verdict in the case on July 14, with the prosecution demanding life sentences for both men.
Both suspects deny involvement in the shooting and declined to testify in court.
The murder of de Vries in broad daylight stunned the Netherlands, where he was a household name with his own TV show, and sparked outrage across Europe.
De Vries first won fame for reporting on the 1983 kidnapping of Heineken millionaire Freddy Heineken.
Prosecutors say they suspect de Vries was killed because of his role as advisor to a state witness, Nabil B., in the trial of the Netherlands' most wanted man, alleged drugs baron Ridouan Taghi, who was arrested in Dubai in 2019.
The brother and lawyer of Nabil B. have both been shot since he turned state's witness. - AFP
