Police in Amsterdam say they have a suspect in custody in connection with the murder of criminal defense attorney Derk Wiersum. The male suspect was apprehended on Tuesday evening at a home, authorities said in a statement.
Authorities released no details about the suspect's age, nationality, or his place of residence. Shortly after the incident, police said they were looking for a man between the ages of 16 and 20 years, wearing a hoodie, and dressed in black clothing.
The police believe that a white delivery van was used as a getaway car after the murder of lawyer Derk Wiersum outside his home on Imstenrade in Amsterdam. Witness statements and video footage showed a white vehicle "similar to a Fiat Doblo" driving away from the area immediately after Wiersum was gunned down on Sepember 18th, the police said on Sunday.
After the murder of defense attorney Derk Wiersum in front of his Amsterdam home last week, the city is offering extra security to a large number of people. Many also connected to the case around alleged drug gang leader Ridouan Taghi. This extra security is necessary, but comes at the expense of Amsterdam's police capacity, mayor Femke Halsema and Jan Pronker of the Amsterdam police said in a city council debate on Thursday.
The police want 445 extra police officers for a Narcotics Unit aimed at tackling organized crime, is stated in provisional plans from the judiciary and police that Minister Ferdinand Grapperhaus of Justice and Security is currently considering, AD reports.
The police are still no closer to catching the man who gunned down defense lawyer Derk Wiersum in front of his home in the Buitenveldert neighborhood of Amsterdam last week Wednesday. On Opsporing Verzocht on Tuesday, the police called on witnesses to come forward, especially people who noticed anything out of the ordinary in the neighborhood in the weeks before the shooting.
Fugitive Ridouan Taghi has been linked to two more murders, three attempted killings and ordering an attack on a spy shop in Nieuwegein, was revealed in a proforma hearing on Tuesday. The criminal group led by Taghi is now suspected of at least nine assassinations and a whole series of attempted murders and never executed murder plans, Het Parool reports.
After the murder of defense lawyer Derk Wiersum in Amsterdam last week, extra security measures were taken for dozens of people. These include judges and prosecutors involved in the case against Ridouan Taghi or related cases, sources told NOS.
A special anti-drug unit, based on the American Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), will be established in the Netherlands, Justice Minister Ferdinand Grapperhaus announced on Thursday after the murder of defense lawyer Derk Wiersum in Amsterdam. But more than that will be needed in the fight against organized crime, Eirk Heijdelberg, director of Willem Schrikker Youth Protection, said to broadcaster NOS.
The fight against organized crime is complicated, but can be won, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on the second day of the parliamentary debate on the national budget. Ferdinand Grapperhaus agreed with Rutte’s standpoint. The Security and Justice Minister from the PM’s conservative VVD party backed a call from several politicians to form a specialized unit focused solely on tackling drug crime.
Minister Ferdinand Grapperhaus of Justice and Security is looking for more money to push into the fight against organized crime, he said on Thursday morning, one day after defense attorney Derk Wiersum was assassinated outside of his Amsterdam Home. "If we really want to achieve success over organized crime, we have to take an extra step", Grapperhaus said, Het Parool reports. "More than we have done so far, also if it means extra resources."
The Public Prosecution Service will keep using key witnesses, even after the murder of criminal law attorney Derk Wiersum in Amsterdam on Wednesday morning. "We must continue to use the means of key witnesses, otherwise we will get no further in criminal cases. Continue in a motivated way", prosecutor Fred Westerbeke said to Nieuwsuur. He wants more options in the use of such suspects-turned-informants.
Shots rang out on the Langbroekdreef in Amsterdam Zuidoost on Wednesday night, striking one person. The victim later died of their injuries, police said.
Authorities confirmed that a vehicle was shot at by two suspects who were sitting on a scooter at the time. They then fled the scene on the two-wheeler. After the gunshots, the car crashed into the front of a nearby firehouse.
Authorities investigating the murder of criminal defense attorney Derk Wiersum in Amsterdam have joined forces with Dutch counter-terrorism agency NCTV in the hunt for the perpetrator. Police are still searching for the suspect they believe to be responsible for the crime.
The entire Amsterdam city council wants an emergency debate with Mayor Femke Halsema on undermining crime after the murder of criminal law attorney Derk Wiersum in the city on Wednesday morning. Wiersum represented key witness Nabil B., who linked fugitive Ridouan Taghi to a number of gangland assassinations.
Criminal law attorney Derk Wiersum was standing next to his wife when he was gunned down near their home on Imstenrade in Amsterdam Zuid on Wednesday morning. The woman was not physically injured in the attack that killed her husband. "There are no further victims", a police spokesperson said to Het Parool. Wiersum is survived by his wife and two school-aged children.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte, MPs and lawyers are shocked by the murder of criminal law attorney Derk Wiersum in Amsterdam on Wednesday morning, calling it an attack on the rule of law. "Very disturbing reports", Rutte said to reporters in response to the lawyer's death. Justice Minister Ferdinand Grapperhaus is currently being informed about what the authorities know so far. "As soon as any announcements can be made, that will happen", the Prime Minister said.
A man was shot and killed in Buitenveldert in Amsterdam on Wednesday morning. Het Parool and De Telegraaf identify the victim as Derk Wiersum, the lawyer that represented key witness Nabil B. A police officer confirmed this in an interview with AT5, adding that the 44-year-old lawyer lived on Imstenrade where the shooting happened.
