Crime boss Taghi’s relative named mastermind in journalist Peter R. de Vries Murder
Dutch authorities reported a major breakthrough in the investigation into the 2021 assassination of crime reporter Peter R. de Vries, tying the murder directly to the criminal organization of Ridouan Taghi, AD reports.
Ismail M., 34, arrested in Morocco in October 2025, has given a statement identifying Jaouad F., a nephew of Taghi, as the person who ordered the attack on De Vries. According to prosecutors, Ismail M. sent a photo of De Vries to a convicted Polish operative involved in the plot, who then relayed it to the shooter. “You have to get this dog,” he reportedly wrote in one message.
Authorities said this is the first time a direct connection between Taghi’s inner circle and De Vries’s murder could be established.
Ismail M. is considered a key operative in Taghi’s organization. Two of his older brothers were previously sentenced to 10 and 5.5 years for involvement in murders tied to Taghi’s network.
While Ismail has avoided prior convictions, he was arrested in 2014 on suspicion of involvement in a previous assassination and has appeared in several major criminal investigations.
Police said Ismail M. had extensive contact in 2020 with Delano G., the convicted gunman who shot De Vries and was sentenced to 27.5 years in prison.
Chat records reportedly show that Ismail M. directed a gang in the Betuwe region that included both Delano G. and the Polish operative who acted as the “hit broker” for the De Vries attack.
Jaouad F., described by law enforcement as Taghi’s enforcer, has also been implicated in the 2019 murder of lawyer Derk Wiersum. He remains a suspect in that case but has not been prosecuted, in part because he has lived in Morocco since 2018. He is currently serving a six-year sentence for the mistaken killing of a judge’s son.
Authorities said the new testimony from Ismail M., along with recent arrests, strengthens the case that both the murders of De Vries and Wiersum were orchestrated within Taghi’s criminal network.
