YouTube removes videos of crime reporter's shooting; Royals "deeply shocked" by attack
Video streaming platform YouTube started actively removing videos showing the shooting of Peter R. de Vries. Some of the videos that were circulating were really gruesome, including some that showed the critically injured crime reporter lying on the street. The Dutch Royals released a statement saying that they were "deeply shocked" by the attack on De Vries.
Late on Tuesday night, Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema said De Vries was fighting for his life in hospital. His current condition is unknown.
"The news that journalist Peter R. de Vries was shot shocked us deeply. He and all his loved ones are in our thoughts," King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima said in a short statement released by Koninklijk Huis. "Journalists must be able to do their work un-threatened and freely. We feel connected to everyone who is committed to the free press in our constitutional state."
Prime Minister Mark Rutte previously called the shooting "shocking and incomprehensible". Other politicians said it was an attack on the Netherlands' free press and society.
De Vries faced threats from various sides, but he did not want extra security around him, his colleague Kees van der Spek said on talk show Humberto. He had security on occasions, "but he found that uncomfortable", Van der Spek said.
De Vries acted as confidant of key witness Nabil B. in the Marengo process around Ridouan Taghi. The crime reporter previously said that he was on Taghi's hit list, though the criminal denied that. Nabil B.'s first lawyer after he turned key witness, Derk Wiersum, was shot dead in front of his Amsterdam home in 2019.
De Vries was gunned down on Lange Leidsedwarsstraat in Amsterdam at around 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, shortly after he left the RTL Boulevard studio. This morning, candles and flowers can be seen at the scene of the shooting. "For Peter - survive", one card placed at the scene read.
According to the police, De Vries was shot at close range and hit in the head. Sources told NOS that five shots were fired at the crime journalist, ANP cited a witness who heard four shots.
Three suspects were arrested after the shooting, two in a car on the A4 near Leidschendam and one in Amsterdam-Oost. The police believe one of the two arrested on the highway was the shooter. Police chief Frank Paauw called the getaway car with the two suspects "our biggest lead at the moment". No further details about the suspects were released.
