Dutch police have detained three suspects in the attempted murder of well-known organised-crime reporter Peter de Vries, who was shot in Amsterdam on Tuesday and who is in hospital, fighting for his life, according to Dutch media.
“He is a national hero to us all. A rare, courageous journalist who tirelessly sought justice,” Amsterdam’s mayor, Femke Halsema, said. De Vries was shot five times, including once in the head.
Dutch caretaker prime minister Mark Rutte said the shooting was “shocking and inconceivable”.
“It is an attack on a courageous journalist and therefore an attack on the freedom of the press which is so essential for our democracy and our rule of law,” he told a news conference.
The 64-year-old journalist and TV presenter is “fighting to stay alive” according to Femke Halsema, the mayor of Amsterdam.
De Vries is well-known in the country for his role in several criminal cases, having regularly appeared as a spokesman for victims or in the close circle of key witnesses. He has received a number of death threats during his career./ argumentum.al
