Suspect arrested in 33-year-old cold case of Rotterdam store murder

A 59-year-old man from Rotterdam was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of being involved in the death of a 54-year-old man 33 years ago, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) reported on Friday. Hans van der Mee was robbed and shot dead in his store in Rotterdam in 1990.

Van der Mee and his wife operated a household appliances store on Ruilstraat in Rotterdam. On February 14, 1990, at 5:50 p.m., just before closing time, two men wearing balaclavas stormed into the store, declaring it a robbery.

Detectives involved in the investigation believe that van der Mee got into a fight with one of the robbers and was shot in the head, while his wife was with the other robber in the room where the safe was, with a gun pressed against her neck. After van der Mee was shot, the robbers ran away. Van der Mee died instantly.

The police investigation in 1990 did not lead to the arrest of the two suspects. This case has been broadcast in various investigative programs over recent years. At the end of September, this cold case was featured on the TV show 'Opsporing Verzocht.'

The two suspects were described as being between the ages of 20 and 30 years of age at the time, putting them in their fifties or early sixties now. The men had a dark skin complexion. After the robbery, police found a balaclava and dark sunglasses with a blue plastic frame close to the scene.

One suspect was arrested on Tuesday. On Friday, this 59-year-old man from Rotterdam was brought before the examining magistrate, who decided to extend his pre-trial detention by an additional 14 days, the maximum allowed. The man is in restricted custody, which means he is only allowed to have contact with his legal representation.

The Dutch authorities had increased the reward for information leading to an arrest to 30,000 euros. On Friday, the OM stated that it was too early in the investigation to confirm whether this reward would be paid out.