Suspect gets 12 years for involvement in Amsterdam criminal's murder

An appeals court in Amsterdam sentenced 32 year old Benaouf A. to 12 years in prison for his involvement in the murder of Amsterdam criminal Najeb Bouhbouh. The prosecutor in the case had demanded A. be sentenced to 19 years in prison.

Bouhbouh was gunned down by two men on the steps of the Crowne Plaza hotel in Antwerp in October 2012. A. always denied his involvement in the murder, but an extensive investigation by the Dutch and Belgian police showed that A. sent various text messages to the gunmen, including information on when and where they could strike.

The court ruled that the text messages played an essential role in the murder. The court called the murder calculating and ruthless, adding that it is a miracle that no one else was hit by one of the many shots fired in broad daylight.