Son of murdered journalist also warned his life is in danger

The son of Dutch investigative journalist Peter R. de Vries, who was assassinated on an Amsterdam street, was warned by police that his life is also in danger. Royce de Vries confirmed to Parool that police are investigating a tip that someone wants the man dead.

Peter R. de Vries was gunned down near Leidseplein on July 6 shortly after appearing on RTL Boulevard, which had a studio on the square. He was assisting Nabil B. at the time of the murder. B. is the start witness testifying against Ridouan Taghi, the alleged organized crime boss linked to multiple murders, attempted killings, and assassination plots. The court proceedings are ongoing, and are collectively known by the randomly-assigned name, Marengo Process.

“The only reason I can think of is that, as a lawyer, I represented the innocent sisters of Nabil B. in a civil matter against the State. I put an end to that when my father was shot," said De Vries. “I was doing that anonymously for security reasons; so confidentially that even other officemates knew nothing about it. However, the investigative services were so careless as to let it leak out, after which it was also reported in the media.”

Authorities believe the threat came from the criminal organization led by Taghi, though no evidence to support this has been uncovered, Parool reported. Back in July, Gerrit van der Burg, the head of the Public Prosecution Service, also said he believed Peter R. de Vries's murder was linked to the Taghi case.

Nabil B.'s brother, Reduan, was also assassinated on March 23, 2018, one week after prosecutors announced that Nabil was cooperating with their investigation. Reduan was not tied to any criminal activity, and was the father of two young children when he died. Reduan was reportedly terrified Taghi would target him to get back at B. Despite authorities acknowledging a year later they handled Nabil B.'s security poorly, his attorney, Derk Wiersum, was shot dead in front of his home in September 2019. The crime was considered to be among the most egregious in recent memory, as was the slaying of De Vries.

The attack on his father "accelerated" the younger De Vries's decision to stop representing Nabil B.'s sisters, he said. “I had to promise my own family in the hospital that I would completely take my hands off the procedures for Nabil B.'s family. It was not the time to be cocky.”

De Vries also was not providing them with assistance related to a criminal matter, like the Marengo Process. He was representing them in a civil matter against the State

Yet again, the sisters were without legal representation, he added. Other attorneys stopped working with members of B.'s family because they were concerned that officials could not keep their identities secret.