Getaway car in Amsterdam trainer's murder often spotted around gym

The getaway car used in the murder of Saban Berk in Amsterdam on Monday night, was often spotted in the vicinity of the gym where he gave classes. The police believe that the perpetrators of the shooting may have been keeping an eye on him, a spokesperson said to Het Parool.

Thai boxer Saban Berg was gunned down on Papaverweg in Amsterdam Noord at around 9:20 p.m. on Monday night. The shooting happened after he gave a lesson at The Big Lab sports center on Vlierweg, around the corner from the crime scene. The believed getaway car, a silver BMW with Belgian license plates, was later found in Zaandam.

On Tuesday evening between eight and ten o'clock, the time frame in which the incident took place, we spoke with several passers-by", a police spokesperson said to Het Parool. "This has given rise to the impression that the getaway car was often seen in Noord in the past period, also at locations where Berk was at that time. The car may therefore have been used for pre-observations."

The motive for Berk's murder is not yet known. In 2014 the gym owner told Dutch media that he was often mistaken for, still at large, sex trafficker Saban B. He did not only have the same first name as the convicted human trafficker, but also a similar appearance.

"How can I be an example for the youth if I were a pimp? That's why I am glad that you're here so I can explain how things are", Berk said to AT5 in October 2014. "I'm Saban Berk, I'm a sports man. I have nothing to do with that shit, he is a number one asshole. And because I have the same name as him, I'm being addressed a out it."

Berk told the Telegraaf that same year that, in many respects, he is the opposite of Saban B. "I teach self-defense courses to girls (...) I grew up in the Red Light District and I know the problem of forced prostitution like few others."