Amsterdam rapper suspected in assassination

A 23-year-old Amsterdam rapper JayJay, real name Jason D., is suspected of involvement in the assassination of criminal Abderrahim Belhadj. The judiciary believes that D. lured Belhadj to Kikkenstein apartment building in Bijlmer on May 9th, where he was gunned down, Het Parool reports.

Belhadj is one of two assassinated witnesses that were to testify in the so-called 26Koper trial - a trial against a group of criminals whose huge arsenal of weapons was found Nieuwegein in July last year. They are suspected of illegal arms trade and preparing for assassinations. The trial starts in the Amsterdam court on Thursday.

Before his assassination, Belhadj was chatting on WhatsApp with an iPhone used by Jason D., frontman of rap group and street gang Green Gang from Bijlmer. D. threw the phone away after the assassination, but downloaded his old communications onto his new phone via the iCloud. That new phone was seized when D. was arrested in June on suspicion of money laundering, according to the newspaper.

The judiciary read his messages, which strongly suggest that D. lured Belhadj to his assassination with a story. Belhadj was killed immediately after his arrival at the apartment building.

According to Parool, D. also appears in several other murder files of recent years, either as suspect or possible target. He was involved with several other criminals connected to assassinations, including Amsterdam-Moroccan Naoufal F., who was arrested in Ireland recently. 

Jason D.'s lawyer Manon Aalmoes told the newspaper that his client was questioned regarding Belhadj's assassination and also gave a statement. "He was not arrested for this case, in any case. What justice is doing, is its own business. I'm not bothered." the lawyer said.