Suspect accused of randomly killing three Rotterdam men remanded to jail on Monday
The 24-year-old man who was arrested in connection with three recent execution-style shootings in Rotterdam was ordered to remain in jail for at least the next two weeks. The suspect accused of three counts of murder or manslaughter was remanded to jail during an initial hearing before an examining magistrate on Monday.
The suspect will remain in restricted custody, and will only be allowed contact with his attorney. He will likely face an arraignment hearing on January 20 in front of three judges at the District Court of Rotterdam. They can then order him to a prison for pre-trial detention for consecutive periods of up to 90 days each. The suspect was born in Curaçao, but grew up in the Netherlands, authorities said during a press conference last week.
He is accused of shooting three men in the head at close range over a 12 day period. The first victim was a 63-year-old shot on Reyerdijk on December 21 at about 9:40 p.m. His next victim, aged 58, was shot at about the same time on December 28 while on the Roelantpad. The third victim, who was 81, was found injured in a flowerbed on Bommelwaard at about 10 a.m. on January 2. All three men died in a hospital.
With dozens of police officers working on the case after the first two shootings, police released a grainy photo and video of the alleged killer stalking his second victim on a bridge. However, it was not enough to lead to an arrest before the third victim was killed. After the 81-year-old man was found with severe injuries, police released more photographs and a description of their suspect.
Investigators acted on a tip and visited an unnamed shop in the city, where they met and spoke with the 24-year-old. They did not have enough evidence to take him into custody, and he did not fully match the initial description of the suspect. They released him after he consented to being photographed, and shared details about where he was temporarily staying.
A few hours later, he was arrested just after 11 p.m. on the balcony of the home of an acquaintance, located on Emelissedijk in the IJsselmonde district. Police also found a firearm believed to be the gun used in the three crimes. The acquaintance was not taken into custody. The residence is a short walk from two of the three crime scenes. He was picked up after police found more bullet casings in the area. A second location was also raided by police at about the same time that night.
Authorities confirmed they were acting on intelligence developed by various agencies, but the source of the information was not released. He was the second person arrested in the case. A 20-year-old man from Amsterdam was arrested on December 30 in connection with the case, but authorities have not detailed their suspicions against him.
Last week, police said the motive remained under investigation. The suspect does not have a history of violent crime, having been charged in the past with property crimes like theft and shoplifting, as well as fencing a stolen scooter. Nevertheless, the victims were killed in "an unbelievably brutal manner," said Hugo Hillenaar, who leads the district office of the Public Prosecution Service.
The shootings, all of which occurred within a one-kilometer radius in Rotterdam-Zuid, led to a public safety warning issued by the Rotterdam police, a rare move by law enforcement. Chief Fred Westerbeke explained that the decision was made to protect the safety of local residents, who were growing increasingly fearful after the third shooting incident in the IJsselmonde neighborhood.
Police in Rotterdam issued a rare public warning Thursday after the third random shooting in less than two weeks. All three shootings took place within a one-kilometer radius. The unusual decision to alert residents and ask them to remain indoors or to only go outside with a friend was made to address growing concerns for public safety, according to Rotterdam Police Chief Fred Westerbeke.
“This kind of warning is unprecedented,” Westerbeke said Friday evening on Nieuwsuur. “I cannot recall us ever doing this before. You have to weigh the consequences carefully, including whether issuing such a warning might actually cause more unrest.” The tipping point, Westerbeke explained, was the safety of IJsselmonde residents. “Ultimately, we felt that this signal had to be given,” he said.
Westerbeke acknowledged the difficult decision to issue a public warning. “After the first two shootings, it wasn’t immediately clear that a third would follow,” he said. “We debated whether a warning was truly necessary, and whether it might cause more anxiety. But in the end, ensuring the safety of the residents was the decisive factor.”
The announcement sparked fear and unease among residents, with many expressing their concerns about venturing outside as the shooter seemed to be taking lives at random. “You think twice before leaving the house,” one man told Rijnmond. “My wife told me to stay home. What if there’s someone out there randomly shooting people?”
"After the first two shootings, it wasn’t immediately clear that a third would follow,” Westerbeke said. “We debated whether a warning was truly necessary and whether it might cause more anxiety. But in the end, ensuring the safety of the residents was the decisive factor.”
