Last night, prominent Dutch crime journalist, Peter de Vries, was shot four times on the streets of Amsterdam. Outgoing Prime Minister, Mark Rutte has described the shooting of the journalist as an “attack on free journalism.”
De Vries is a well-known public figure in the Netherlands, having risen to fame as an investigative crime journalist.
Just prior to the shooting, De Vries had been a guest on the TV show RTL Boulevard. He was walking along Amsterdam’s Lange Leidsedwarsstraat at 7:30 PM when he was shot at close range.
De Vries suffered a wound to his head and as of this morning is continuing to fight for his life in hospital, reports the NOS,
Support from politicians
Following the attack on De Vries, Mayor Halsema of Amsterdam gave a press conference. She praised his work as a crime journalist, describing him as someone who “keeps the investigative authorities sharp and thus the rule of law on track.”
She went on to describe De Vries as someone who “stands up for people in need, for the parents of a murdered child or people who have been wrongly convicted.”
After Halsema’s press conference, Rutte and Outgoing Minister of Justice and Security, Ferd Grapperhaus, gave a brief conference. Rutte described the attack as “shocking and incomprehensible,” condemning it as “an attack on free journalism.”
Grapperhaus was in agreement with Rutte, describing the shooting as something that “affects journalists and damages our society.”
Suspects caught
There were many witnesses to the assassination attempt and police now have the suspected shooter in custody. In total, three suspects are currently being detained, one was found in Amsterdam and two were apprehended in a car in Leidschendam.
Follow DutchReview on Facebook for the latest news and updates.
Feature Image: Press conference.
This whole story is stunning. This just doesn’t happen in the Netherlands. I do hope that it is not a trend.