Third suspect arrested in Dutch reporter murder probe

• Dutch police arrested third suspect in the murder of Dutch crime reporter Peter R. de Vries.
• De Vries was shot dead outside an Amsterdam television studio last year.
• Prosecutors say his murder was related to his role in the trial of a Dutch drugs mafia kingpin.

Dutch police arrested a third suspect in connection with the murder of a leading crime reporter who was shot dead outside an Amsterdam television studio last year, according to prosecutors and news reports.

Peter R. de Vries, 64, died on July 6, 2021, nine days after being shot in the head in a crime prosecutors say was related 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.

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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 believe de Vries was assassinated because of his role as an advisor to a state witness, Nabil B., in the trial of the Netherlands’ most wanted man, alleged drug baron Ridouan Taghi, who was apprehended in Dubai in 2019.

Nabil B.’s brother and lawyer have both been shot since he turned state’s witness.

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