Main suspect in 2002 fatal Amsterdam shooting extradited to the Netherlands from U.S.

A 54-year-old man suspected of involvement in a fatal 2002 shooting was extradited from the United States to the Netherlands on Thursday, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) said. He is the main suspect in the case.

On August 3, 2002, a 33-year-old man from Rotterdam was killed in a shooting at an apartment building in Amsterdam-Zuidoost. Later the same day, a second shooting in the building’s parking garage injured two people.

The man extradited from the United States is suspected of carrying out both attacks. In June 2003, the Amsterdam District Court handed a five-year prison sentence to a man who was 26 years old at the time. He was accused of being an accomplice in the deadly shooting.

But the prime suspect managed to elude authorities, and fled the country shortly after the shootings. He evaded capture despite an international alert, until U.S. authorities apprehended him in June 2021 on drug smuggling charges.

Having completed his U.S. sentence, the man was approved for extradition to the Netherlands. He is expected to face charges of murder, and two counts of attempted murder.

The suspect appeared before an examining magistrate on Friday, who ordered the suspect to remain in custody for an extra 14 days until his formal arraignment. His next hearing will be before a three-judge panel at a district court, who can order him to remain in pre-trial detention by up to 90 days after reviewing the case.