Motorcycle cop shot Heineken kidnapper in Amsterdam: report
A suspect shot by a motorcycle police officer on De Wittenkade in Amsterdam on Tuesday, is Heineken kidnapper 66-year-old Frans Meijer. The second suspect arrested is his son, the Telegraaf reports based on sources.
The motorcycle cop responded to the area after a report of a suspicious situation. He saw the two men walking and when he tried to address them, they ran off towards De Wittenkade. The officer saw that one of the suspects had a fire arm and a situation arose in which he felt he had to shoot the suspect, the police said. The second suspect surrendered. According to the Telegraaf, Meijer and his son wanted to commit a robbery in the neighborhood.
Meijer is now being treated for multiple gunshot wounds in hospital, where he is guarded by the police, according to the newspaper. The extent of his injuries is unknown.
Frans Meijer is one of the most infamous underworld figures in Dutch crime history. In 1983 he, Willem Holleeder, Cor van Hout, Jan Boellaard and Martin Erkamps abducted beer magnate Freddy Heineken and his driver Ab Doderer. Heineken and Doderer were freed after being held hostage for three weeks. Three of the five kidnappers, including Meijer, were arrested at the time. Van Hout and Holleeder escaped to France, where they were later arrested.
Of the ransom money paid for Heineken, 8 million guilders, some 3.5 million euros, were never recovered. Meijer insists that he burned his share of the ransom on the beach, after finding God, according to the newspaper.
Cor van Hout was assassinated in 2003. Holleeder is currently being tried for ordering this and five other assassinations. Jan Boelllaard shot and killed a customs officer soon after his release in 1991. Erkamps also came into contact with the law several times after his release.
