Famous Dutch crime reporter Peter R. The assassination attempt on de Vries shocked the country. Prime Minister Mark Rutte spoke on Wednesday night about the “attack on the free press.” The royal couple from Berlin responded with “deep shock”: “Journalists can do their important work freely and without intimidation,” wrote King Willem-Alexander and his wife, Maxima. On Facebook. The couple is currently on a state visit to Germany.
Dutch television stations reported crime on special programs. Prime Minister Rutte and Justice Minister Fert Gropperhouse met with the anti-terrorism agency. Politicians from many parties and the press responded with horror.
Peter R. De Vries fights for his life
De Vries was shot dead at around 7.30pm on Tuesday, leaving a television studio in the center of Amsterdam on the street. The 64-year-old was shot in the head and taken to hospital. Police report. “Peter R. de Vries is fighting for his life,” said Mayor Femke Halsema of Amsterdam.
According to eyewitnesses, several shots were fired at De Vries. Police said they have arrested three suspects, including the shooter. Authorities have not yet commented on the background of the crime. A special commission was set up.
Police complained that records may have been made of the incident or that the suspect may have escaped.
De Vries is the Netherlands’ leading crime correspondent and regularly appears as a spokesman for victims or witnesses in trials. He is also a regular guest on TV talk shows. This time he is the credible witness of a major trial. In 2019 the lawyer of the key witness and his brother had already been shot. However, it is unclear whether there is a link between these actions and the attack on de Vries.
The reporter became internationally known in 1987 with his bestseller for abducting reporter Freddie Heineken. In 2008 she won an Emmy Award for reporting the case of Natalie Holloway. The American went missing in Aruba in 2005 and is believed to have been killed by a Dutchman.