Suspects get up to 20 years in prison for attempted assassination in Diemen

On Thursday the court in Amsterdam sentenced five men to up to 20 years in prison for attempting to assassinate Peter R. in Diemen in November 2015. Despite 34 shots being fired, R. managed to escape with his life, NU.nl reports.

Gunmen Qoi C. and Atif M. were both sentenced to 20 years in prison. Getaway driver Karim S. got 16 years. Genaro L. was sentenced to 12.5 years and Alejandro P. to 14 years in prison for following the victim and preparing the assassination. P. is still at large. The suspects also have to pay their victim almost 43 thousand euros in compensation.

The assassination attempt happen on November 5th, 2015 while R. was sitting in his car in a parking lot on Fregat in Diemen. The two gunmen opened fire on him with semi-automatic weapons. A total of 34 shots were fired. The court considered it a "miracle" that R. survived. 

The police managed to track down the perpetrators quickly, because the getaway car they used was already being watched as part of another investigation. Four suspects were arrested on the same evening as the shooting. A fifth suspect was arrested in January 2016.

Investigators managed to break into phones found on the suspects. Based on messages, emailed and tapped conversations, a clear picture of how the assassination attempt was planned and executed was formed. 

The Public Prosecutor believes that Naoufal F. is the one who ordered this assassination. He is being tried separately. The 35-year-old man was extradited to the Netherlands from Ireland in February.