Suspect arrested in Germany for Iranian police employee's shooting in Schoonhoven
The police arrested a suspect for the shooting of an Iranian employee of the Dutch police in Schoonhoven last week Thursday. The suspect is a 27-year-old man with no registered place of residence. He was arrested in Dortmund, Germany, the police reported.
The suspect is in German custody, awaiting transfer to the Netherlands.
The 36-year-old man, an IT specialist at the Police Service Center, was shot on Pascalplein in Schoonhoven just before 7:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 19. He was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries. Locals told the media that the man was ambushed at his home, where he has been living with his wife and child for some six years.
The police launched a major investigation. They tracked down the firearm used on the same day as the shooting and later found the suspect’s getaway car, a Toyota Yaris.
The investigation quickly led to the suspect’s identity, as well as his possible whereabouts in Germany, the police said. At the Dutch police’s request, the German authorities arrested him in Dortmund on Wednesday evening. The Dutch authorities have already submitted an extradition request.
“The investigation continues unabated,” the police said after the arrest. “The police and judiciary are therefore being cautious about sharing substantive information.”
So far, the police have said nothing about a possible motive. Minister David van Weel of Justice and Security confirmed on Friday that the man is “known as someone who spoke out against the [Iranian] regime” on social media.
The police did not say anything about the shot employee’s current condition.
