BMX racer's murder not a case of mistaken identity: police

The assassination of Elco Gjaltema in Amsterdam-Oost in February, was definitely not a case of mistaken identity, the police said on Opsporing Verzocht on Tuesday. While the exact motive for his murder is still unclear, the 36-year-old BMX racer was active in the criminal world, according to the police. Gjaltema was gunned down at close range on the street on Oostelijke Handelskade around 10:45 p.m. on Wednesday, February 17th. Bystanders and then emergency services tried to resuscitate him, but it was to no avail. Gjaltema's friends describe him as having a heart of gold, and his girlfriend was convinced that his murder was a mistake. Shortly after the assassination, a burning car was found in Duivendrecht. The police believe that this was the shooters' getaway car. The car is a white Audi A6 with white Danish license plates. According to the police, the car was hired at the Danish Copenhagen airport on February 9th and then driven to the Netherlands via Hamburg. Firefighters managed to quickly extinguish the fire in the Audi, which means the police were able to collect some trace evidence. One of the things found was a plastic bottle supposedly filled with flammable liquid used to light the car on fire. The police examined the bottle for trace evidence, which forms part of the investigation. The police believe that there were two suspects in the Audi - a driver and a passenger - and that the passenger was the actual gunmen. After setting the Audi on fire in Duivendrecht, the police believe the perpetrators got into a dark colored car, possibly a Fiat or Peugeot. The police are looking to speak to anyone with any information regarding this case. The detectives hope that tips from the public can hep lead to a resolution