Getaway car in Telegraaf attack found burning in Amsterdam
The police believe they found the getaway car used in an attack on De Telegraaf building on Basisweg in Amsterdam. The car was found burning in a parking lot on Noordkaperweg in Amsterdam Noord early on Wednesday morning.
According to the police, a loud bang was heard from the parking lot, located close to the 'Volendam-Hengelo' onramp to the A10 highway, around 4:00 a.m. When the police went to investigate, they found a burning Audi. "The detectives assume that the perpetrators fled in this car yesterday", the police said in a statement.
At around 4:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning a white van crashed through the door of De Telegraaf building. The driver got out, set fire to the Volkswagen Caddy and fled. In a surveillance video released by De Telegraaf, the perpetrator can be seen getting into a waiting car, which then sped away.
Last week an Amsterdam building housing, among others, Panorama and Nieuwe Revu was fired at with a rocket launcher. It is not yet clear whether these two incidents are related.
On Tuesday afternoon the municipality of Amsterdam announced that it placed extra camera surveillance at five editorial offices in the city. It involves the buildings housing De Telegraaf, Panorama, Nieuwe Revu, AT5, Het Parool, the Volkskrant and NRC - all news sources that regularly report on organized crime. While it is not yet certain who the perpetrators behind the attacks on De Telegraaf, Panorama and Nieuwe Revu are, one of the scenarios the authorities are looking at is that they had to do with recent publications.
According to the municipality, there is no concrete information that new attacks on the media will happen, but "nothing can be excluded". In addition to the extra camera surveillance, the security of the buildings will be reviewed. "During a visit, specialists look for simple measures to make the building as safe as possible", the municipality said in a press statement. The decision for extra security was made with the Amsterdam police and Public Prosecutor. The Amsterdam authorities are "very shocked" by the events.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte called the attack on De Telegraaf "a slap in the face of the free press and the Dutch democracy".
