Police arrest new suspect for directing murder of journalist Peter R. de Vries

The police arrested a 27-year-old man on Monday on suspicion of remotely orchestrating the murder of Peter R. de Vries. According to the authorities, he sent instructions to alleged shooter Delano G. and getaway driver Kamil E. around De Vries's fatal shooting in July last year.

Het Parool identifies the suspect as Krystian M. from Ochten in Gelderland. According to the newspaper, he has clear links to Ridouan Taghi, who is widely regarded as the mastermind behind De Vries's murder. The crime reporter acted as confidant and advisor to Nabil B., the key witness in the Marengo assassinations trial against Taghi and the alleged gang around him.

Last month, prosecutors called for a conviction and a life sentence against each suspect during the a criminal court hearing in Amsterdam. "Both G. and E. were fully aware of the assignment that had to be carried out," the prosecutor in the case said. A verdict and sentence will be announced on 14 July.

M. is a main suspect in the Buzzard criminal case against a family member of Taghi's and eight others. They are accused of stealing cars to use in assassinations, among other things. In this case, M. is suspected of involvement in the attempted murder of a man in Utrecht on 30 October 2019. The victim was beaten with hammers, a baseball bat, and a sledgehammer and barely survived.

The suspect was arrested in prison. In addition to the Buzzard case, he was already incarcerated for an attempted murder in Zeewolde in October 2021, according to the newspaper.