Another suspect arrested for Peter R. de Vries assassination

The police arrested another suspect in the investigation into the murder of the crime reporter Peter R. de Vries. The 27-year-old man from Curacao is suspected of indirect involvement in the attack on De Vries in Amsterdam on July 6 last year, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) said on Wednesday.

“The police and judiciary suspect that he participated in a criminal partnership that carries out (excessively) violent jobs for payment at clients' request,” the OM said.

The police arrested the man in a home in Helmond at around 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday. He is in restricted custody, which means that he can only have contact with his lawyer. It also means that the authorities can’t release many details about the investigation.

The OM also said that a 26-year-old suspect arrested in Spain last month would remain in custody for the time being. The court in Amsterdam extended his pre-trial detention by 90 days on Monday.

The Helmond arrest brings the total number of suspects in custody for De Vries’s murder to six. The suspected gunman Delano G. and alleged getaway driver Kamil E. are currently standing trial in court in Amsterdam. The investigation against them falls under the Amsterdam police.

The other four suspects fall under the investigation into who ordered the crime reporter killed. The national investigation department handles that investigation. Krystian M. is suspected of orchestrating De Vries’s murder by sending instructions to G. and E. through encrypted messages. Two other men were arrested in Spain and Curacao. They are suspected of filming De Vries’s shooting and posting the images on social media to create a bigger impact.

De Vries was shot in Amsterdam on July 6 last year. He died in hospital nine days later.