Dutch prosecutors have arrested a 27-year-old Polish man suspected of organizing the murder of well-known crime reporter Peter R de Vries, almost exactly a year after he was shot in an Amsterdam street.
The man, whose identity has not been released, is suspected of “leading those who carried out the murder of De Vries,” the prosecutor said in a statement. They did not release any further details. However, they said their investigation into who ordered the hit and why is continuing.
Prosecutors have demanded life sentences against two men charged with the murder of De Vries, a 21-year-old Dutchman identified only as Delano G. and a Polish citizen, Kamil E. Judges will hand down their sentence on July 14.
De Vries was shot at close range on July 6 last year in a street in the center of Amsterdam in an attack that shocked the Netherlands.
The campaigning reporter and television personality died nine days later from his injuries at the age of 64, triggering a massive outburst of grief with thousands of people queuing to pay their last respects at an Amsterdam theater.
According to prosecutors, the two suspects were arrested less than an hour after the shooting in a getaway car on a highway near The Hague with the weapon with which De Vries was shot in the car. The car also contained a cell phone, which prosecutors say contained messages suggesting the murder.
