Group assaults neighbor accused of lying about fatal Amber Alert kidnapping
Police are investigating whether a 46-year-old man’s questionable statements during a televised report about the kidnapping of two children last week was the reason the Beerta man was assaulted. The man was attacked by a group of people in the Groningen town on Thursday evening, police confirmed after reporting by several media outlets.
The two siblings, Jeffrey and Emma, were from the village of Finsterwolde in Beerta. They were kidnapped by their father at about 3:30 p.m., and police believe the car the three were in wound up submerged in the water just 15 minutes later. The vehicle was found on Tuesday evening in a lake off Renselweg in Winschoten.
An Amber Alert was released to ask the public for help in finding the children after they had been missing for about 24 hours. A short time later, the Beerta man was interviewed for a broadcast on the SBS6 news show, Hart van Nederland, which was broadcast on Sunday evening.
In the interview, he said his girlfriend received a phone call on Sunday evening that was from Klaas Bijl, the children’s father. He said the Bijl stated the children were “okay” during this phone call, when in reality the children and their father were already dead.
“We are investigating whether there is a direct relationship between the assault and an interview that the man gave,” said a police spokesperson. The 46-year-old suffered minor injuries, and has pressed charges.
