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Clockwise starting at topleft: Glock G22, Glock G21, Kimber Custom Raptor, Dan Wesson Commander, Smith & Wesson Air Weight .357, Ruger Blackhawk .357, Ruger SP101, Sig Sauer P220 Combat. (File Photo: Joshuashearn / Wikimedia Commons)
- Credit:
Clockwise starting at topleft: Glock G22, Glock G21, Kimber Custom Raptor, Dan Wesson Commander, Smith & Wesson Air Weight .357, Ruger Blackhawk .357, Ruger SP101, Sig Sauer P220 Combat. (File Photo: Joshuashearn / Wikimedia Commons)
Thursday, 14 January 2016 - 16:25
“Assassination Squad” behind weapons arsenal find, prosecutor claims
The Public Prosecutor connected eight suspects arrested in Nieuwegein and Tiel in July last year to two assassinations in 2014. The "assassination squad"s bookkeeping showed that they made payments to the gunmen in the two assassinations, the prosecutor said in court on Thursday, Het Parool reports.
The eight suspects were arrested after raids in garages in Nieuwegein, Tiel and Maurik uncovered an "unprecedented amount" of firearms. The arsenal consisted of pistol, Kalashnikov rifles and a hand grenade. The authorities watched the suspects for some time and overheard them talking about assassinations and observing possible targets.
A notebook containing the gang's "bookkeeping" was found on one of the suspects. According to the Prosecutor, it showed that the group had a turnover of 19 million euros in about 1.5 years, mostly earned through drug trafficking.
The notebook also recorded payments to "hitters' - gunmen in assassinations - and "spotters" - men observing the targets - on dates coinciding with two assassinations. Amounts of 40 thousand and 100 thousand euros were paid. One on the same day as an attempted assassination on Rinus Moerer in January 2014, and another payment a few months later after Moerer was killed.
The gang also made payments to a hitter and a junior spotter in the days after the murder of Amssterdam criminal Samir Jabli on December 1st, 2014 in Amersfoort.
