Six alleged Amsterdam hitmen arrested in Spain, Netherlands

The Spanish and Dutch police arrested six men from Amsterdam suspected of a series of assassinations and planned assassinations, mainly in the Netherlands. Among the suspects are three already notorious criminals in Amsterdam, Het Parool reports.

The Dutch and Spanish authorities started this joint investigation after the assassination of Abdelhadi Yaqout in Marbella on 21 January 2019. The Spanish-Moroccan man had multiple successful catering businesses, but was also deeply involved in international drug trafficking, according to the newspaper. Two hooded men shot him dead as he arrived at his villa in San Pedro in his Bently.

The investigation into Yaqout's murder led the Spanish and Dutch authorities to these six suspects. Four of them were arrested just across the border of Spain earlier this month, on their way to commit another murder, according to Het Parool. Multiple weapons were found in a hidden compartment of their car. Another suspect was already in custody in the Netherlands for another crime. And the sixth was recently arrested. The police found a semi-automatic pistol with a silencer on him.

A number of the suspects have already been charged with assassinations in the Netherlands, including murders linked to Ridaouan Taghi and motorcycle gang Caloh Wagoh, Het Parool writes.

Amsterdam suspect Jermaine B., 37, was already in custody in connection with the Eris process, which revolves around murders allegedly committed by Caloh Wagoh members. B. is accused of ordering the assassinations of six Amsterdam residents. These assassination attempts were never carried out, according to the newspaper. The targets were Inchomar Balentien, who was later murdered, Jason L., Germaine R., Riff W., and brothers Khalid and Mimoun B. He is also linked to the attempted murders of Samir H. from Roermond, and Roger L. and Rachid C. from Amsterdam.

Suspects 20-year-old Omar C. and 31-year-old Badr K. are also known to the Dutch authorities. In early 2019, they independently searched the internet for Derk Wiersum and Bart Stapert - the two lawyers who represented criminal-turned-police informant Nabil B. This key witness gave testimony against Taghi and the organization around him, linking them to multiple assassinations and planned assassinations. In September 2019, Derk Wiersum was shot dead in front of his Amsterdam home.

Omar C. and Badr K. are also suspected of complicity in the attempted murder of Spy City employee Sander de L. in August 2018, according to the newspaper. And Badr K. is currently being prosecuted in Amsterdam for the murder of Shaquille Goedhart in Amsterdam Zuidoost in May 2019, and involvement of another attempted murder in De Pijp in July 2018. He was released from pre-trail custody in January.

The other three suspects in this investigation are 20-year-old Azat G., 20-year-old Anas M., and 18-year-old Haron A. They do not yet have criminal records, according to Het Parool.

All six men are suspected of murder, participating in a criminal organization, and illegal weapons possession.