Dutch Crime Reporter Shot In Central Amsterdam

The high-profile Dutch crime reporter Peter R de Vries was seriously injured in a shooting in the middle of Amsterdam on Tuesday evening, police said, Annette Birschel reported for Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa).

He was hospitalized with a gunshot wound in the head, police said. Police launched a "large-scale investigation" and later said they had arrested three people, presumably including the suspect. Amsterdam's Mayor Femke Halsema said de Vries was "fighting for his life."

According to media reports, an unknown assailant fired at the 64-year-old de Vries as he left a TV studio at around 7:30 in the evening in the busy Leidseplein square area.

De Vries had been taking part in a live broadcast shortly before. Witnesses to the crime recognized the victim, and videos from the scene were also circulated on social media. The attack shocked the country and TV channels aired special reports on it.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Justice Minister Ferd Grapperhaus met with the anti-terrorism authority in the evening. Politicians from several parties and the journalists' union expressed their dismay in response.

De Vries is a leading crime reporter in the Netherlands and also regularly appears as a spokesperson for victims or witnesses at trials. Currently, he is the confidant of the key witness in a major trial against organized crime. In connection with the trial, the lawyer of the state witness had already been shot in 2019.

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