Peter R. de Vries murder was a terrorist act, prosecutor says; New suspect extradited

Two of the new suspects arrested during the investigation into the murder of Peter R. de Vries were "sent to Amsterdam" specifically to film and photograph the crime reporter as he laid bloodied and seriously injured on the ground on the Lange Leidsedwarsstraat in Amsterdam. "Extremely shocking images. The distribution of these shows the terrorist intent," said the Public Prosecution Service (OM) on Thursday during a first public hearing against the two men, Erickson O. (27) and Gerower M.C. (26), as well as their co-defendant, Krystian M. (27).

M. is also from Poland, as is Kamil E., who was accused of being the getaway driver after De Vries was shot. Another suspect in the case was extradited from Poland on Wednesday.

The assassination attempt was a terrorist act, the OM said in court on Thursday. De Vries was well-known nationally as a prominent crime reporter. He was shot in a busy nightlife area in the center of Amsterdam. The suspects shared the images on social media. These are all elements that make the crime an act with terrorist intent, prosecutors said.

The three men in court refused to say anything in the packed courtroom. The court ruled that they will remain in pre-trial detention at least for the coming months. The court noted that it considers the suspicion of terrorist intent to be strong for the time being.

The Public Prosecution Service suspects Krystian M. of co-perpetrating or organizing the murder. Before, during and after the attack, he was in direct contact with Kamil E. and Delano G., the man suspected of pulling the trigger. Krystian M. is accused of guiding them and giving them direction. According to the Public Prosecution Service, he also held meetings with them.

The suspected perpetrators of the murder, Delano G. and Kamil E., faced court hearings in a separate trial. The Public Prosecution Service demanded life imprisonment against them. In June, the court postponed the verdict indefinitely, when the OM disclosed there was a new witness who had crucial information to the case. The disclosure was made shortly before the verdict was to be released.

This witness established multiple details about the case, including a connection between M. and Ridouan Taghi, who is said to have commissioned the murder. Taghi has not been charged with that crime. De Vries was a confidant of Nabil B., the prosecution’s key witness in the extensive organized crime trial where Taghi is the main suspect in a series of murders and attempted assassinations.

The next hearing for Delano G. and Kamil E. will be early next month. The presiding judges could decide to start the trial over because of the new arrests and one judge’s resignation, or deliver a verdict as closing arguments were already submitted.

O. and M.C. were caught by surveillance cameras at the time of the attack. The images showed that they were in McDonald's for about 45 minutes, opposite the RTL Boulevard studio in the center of Amsterdam. De Vries participated in that program on the evening in question.

As he left the studio shortly after 7:30 p.m. and walked to his car in a parking garage further down the road, O. and M.C. followed him, with their mobile phones ready. When De Vries was allegedly shot by Delano G., near the parking garage, at least one of them took pictures, the OM claimed.

The next interim hearing in the case is on January 6.

Poland extradited a 30-year-old man arrested there last month for suspected involvement in the murder of Peter R. de Vries to the Netherlands, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) said on Thursday. He still has to be arraigned, so he will not be part of today’s pro-forma hearing in the investigation into those who ordered and orchestrated the crime writer’s assassination.

The 30-year-old Polish man was arrested on September 26 and landed at Schipol on Wednesday. According to the OM, he helped prepare the attack on De Vries. The man is charged with complicity in murder with terrorist intent. He will be arraigned on Friday.