Dutch suspect wanted for November shooting arrested at Dortmund Airport
Authorities in Germany arrested a Dutch man wanted in connection with pistol-whipping a victim before shooting at them in an incident that took place in the Netherlands last November. The 50-year-old man was arrested at the Dortmund Airport on Sunday, the Federal Police and district prosecutor's office confirmed to NL Times.
The suspect arrived on a flight from Belgrade, Serbia on Sunday afternoon at about 3 p.m. He used a Dutch passport when he got to the border control desk in the airport. When authorities ran a check on his identity, they discovered the outstanding arrest warrant.
The alert from the Netherlands stated that the man "is suspected of having threatened a person with a gun in November 2022, hitting them with it and shooting at them," Federal Police in Dortmund said in a statement. The office of the prosecutor said the European arrest warrant was requested by the Dutch Public Prosecution Service in Oost-Nederland, which was then issued by the Arnhem district court in Gelderland on February 1, the court confirmed.
The public prosecutor in Hamm ordered the arrest. The Dutch suspect was brought before a magistrate who remanded the man into custody. German authorities said they are now coordinating with AIRS, the office under the Ministry of Justice and Security that handles international criminal matters and extradition cases. According to European law, should the suspect consent to extradition to the Netherlands, he is to be surrendered to Dutch authorities by March 8. If he challenges extradition, the German court system will have to decide if he qualifies for extradition by April 28.
The Dutch Public Prosecution Service and the Ministry of Justice and Security were not able on Monday to comment on the arrest.
A second man who arrived from Belgrade was also arrested at the airport. The 53-year-old Serbian was convicted by the Rastatt district court in Germany in 2019 for forging documents. He was subject to arrest for not paying a 4,200 euro fine. He now faces four months in prison.
Wizzair flight 4091 pulled back from the gate at Belgrade Nikola Tesla International Airport on Sunday at 12:26 p.m. The flight landed arrived in Dortmund at 2:47 p.m. It was the only commercial flight from the Serbian capital to the German city that day.
