Funeral director arrested for assaulting journalist in Bunschoten

A 58-year-old man arrested on Thursday evening for assaulting press photographer Caspar Huurdeman in Bunschoten has been released. He remains a suspect in the case, a police spokeswoman said. The press photographer reported the theft of his camera, which had been returned to him on Thursday evening. Whether the man will be charged with assault is still under investigation, the spokeswoman said.

The press photographer was commissioned by the Gooi- en Eemlander to go to the funeral home on Hooistreep in Bunschoten on Thursday evening around 7:15 p.m. to take pictures of the funeral of one of two locals who died this past weekend. Huurdeman said he was standing on the public road when a man approached him, saying he did not want photos published. According to the newspaper, the man was a funeral director, but the police did not confirm that.

After the confrontation, the photographer walked to his car. "I didn't want to cause a fuss, so I left earlier. Then he suddenly stood behind me and demanded that I delete the photos," said Huurdeman."When I said I wasn't going to do that, he pulled the strap of my camera over my head and squeezed my throat with it." The man was arrested a short time later.