Dutch crime reporter Peter R de Vries is in a serious condition after being shot five times. Photo / AP
Dutch crime reporter Peter R de Vries is in a serious condition after being shot five times. Photo / AP
A prominent Dutch crime reporter is in a serious condition after being shot on the street in central Amsterdam on Tuesday evening.
Peter R de Vries - a celebrity journalist in The Netherlands known for speaking on behalf of crime victims - was "fighting for his life", Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema told a news conference.
The shooting happened in broad daylight at around 7.30pm local time on a busy street near the central tourist hub of Leidseplein.
Dutch crime reporter Peter R. de Vries is fighting for his life after being shot on an Amsterdam street. De Vries, a celebrity in the Netherlands, was known for his work in exposing the criminal underworld https://t.co/U3EdvbgxEypic.twitter.com/uDUNJMcrOv
His son, Royce de Vries, said on Twitter: "Our worst nightmare came true yesterday. We as a family are surrounding Peter with love and hope during these hard times."
Eyewitnesses told local media that the 64-year-old journalist and TV presenter was shot up to five times, including once in the head after he emerged from a television studio where he had been on a talk show.
Two suspects were in custody on Wednesday, a 35-year-old Polish citizen living in the Netherlands and a 21-year-old Dutchman, while a third person detained Tuesday night was let go, according to a Dutch police statement. Their first court appearance was scheduled for Friday.
The motive for the attack was not disclosed.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte told a press conference in The Hague the attack was "shocking and inconceivable".
"It's an attack on a courageous journalist and by extension an attack on the freedom of the press, which is so essential for our democracy and rule of law," he said.
A woman places flowers where de Vries was shot. The journalist is widely known for fearless reporting on the Dutch underworld. Photo / AP
What happened?
Het Parool daily newspaper quoted a resident as saying she heard five shots and went out to see what had happened.
She said she saw de Vries lying on the ground with a lot of blood on his face. He couldn't speak but was still alive, so she held his hand as they waited for emergency services, she said.
Some residents told the paper they had not initially realised what had happened: "We thought that we heard fireworks until you saw someone lying on the street. It's appalling."
On Wednesday morning, locals had placed lit candles, bunches of flowers and notes of support at the spot where de Vries collapsed on Lange Leidsedwarsstraat.
At one end of the street, cleaning trucks were at work, while at the other end was a cluster of television cameras and shocked locals.
A woman lays sunflowers where de Vries was shot. Photo / AP
Who could be behind it?
De Vries is currently acting as the official adviser to a crown witness - known only as Nabil B - in a high-profile murder case and drug trafficking trial.
The case involves Ridouan Taghi, an alleged drug kingpin.
Until his arrest in Dubai in late 2019, Taghi had been listed among Europe's most-wanted fugitives by the EU police agency Europol and in 2019 was described as "one of the world's most dangerous and wanted men" by the commander-in-chief of Dubai Police.
Security around the case is extra-tight due to a number of previous attacks on people related to the crown witness.
Nabil B's brother was shot dead in 2018, and his lawyer gunned down in the street in 2019.
Oscar Hammerstein, a former lawyer for Nabil B, told a local paper that the attack on Mr de Vries was absolutely linked.
"I don't doubt for a second who is behind it," he told Algemeen Dagblad.
"Taghi has said that anyone who interferes with his business will be shot. First it was the brother of the key witness, then a lawyer. Now it is about a man who walked out without armour."
Prosecutors have described Taghi's organisation as a well-oiled killing machine. De Vries himself tweeted in 2019 that he was informed by police and justice officials that he was on a hitlist, drawn up by Taghi.
In recent years, a series of reports have suggested that drug-related criminal activity is out of control in Amsterdam and Dutch police union the NPB has repeatedly expressed concerns that the country has characteristics of a "narco-state."
In the past de Vries had been given police protection after receiving threats related to his involvement in high-profile criminal cases as a reporter and in court.
One such case was the 1983 abduction of beer magnate Freddy Heineken. His book on the case was later made into a film starring Anthony Hopkins.
In 2016, de Vries filed a death threat complaint against one of the men involved in the kidnapping, notorious gangster Willem Holleeder.
Eyewitnesses told local media that the 64-year-old journalist was shot up to five times, including once in the head. Photo / AP
Who is Peter R de Vries?
De Vries began as a newspaper crime reporter and became known for his 1987 book The Heineken Kidnapping reconstructing the abduction of beer magnate Freddy Heineken by Willem Holleeder.
A widely respected journalist in the Netherlands, he helped public prosecutors finding key witnesses to bring Holleeder to justice.
De Vries also won an international Emmy award for his work investigating the disappearance of US teenager Natalee Holloway in Aruba in 2005,
For 17 years he had his own television programme, in which he often worked with victims' families and tirelessly pursued unsolved cold cases.
Victims and relatives in criminal cases have seen him as "a wall you can lean on" according to the Volkskrant.
Two weeks ago he set up a foundation, De Gouden Tip (the golden tip) to crowdfund for investigation into the 1993 disappearance of Tanja Groen.
Many came to pay their respects. Photo / AP
A 'black day' for freedom of the press
Rutte and Justice Minister Ferdinand Grapperhaus met at the Dutch National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV) in the evening to discuss the shooting.
"This is a black day, not only for the people close to Peter R de Vries, but also for the freedom of the press," Grapperhaus told journalists.
"In the Netherlands, we want journalists to be able to conduct any investigation which must be carried out in complete freedom. This freedom has been seriously infringed this evening."
Amsterdam mayor Halsema praised the crime reporter, saying: "Peter R De Vries is a national hero for all of us, a rare and courageous journalist.
"He stands up for people in need, for the parents of a murdered child or people who have been unjustly convicted. He keeps investigators on their toes, and the rule of law on the right tracks. He is far from done."
The Committee to Protect Journalists called for authorities to "determine if he was targeted for his work, and ensure that the attacker and the masterminds of the attack face justice".
Messages of solidarity flooded Dutch social media, including from the royal family, who posted on their official Facebook page that they were deeply shocked by the news, and that Mr de Vries and his loved ones were in their thoughts.
Dutch king Willem-Alexander, on an official visit to Germany, said that journalism is a "cornerstone of the rule of law".
The Dutch royal house does not generally comment on individual incidents, a sign of De Vries' public standing.
"We might disagree with a lot we see in our media, but we have to agree that journalists investigating potential abuses of power are not a threat but an asset to our democracies and our societies," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told European Parliament lawmakers on Wednesday.
