Thousands pay last respects to Dutch reporter Peter de Vries

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Thousands of people lined up Wednesday to pay tribute to slain crime reporter Peter R. De Vries at a theatre on the banks of the Amstel River in the Dutch capital.

De Vries’ coffin was left open for viewing for the rest of the day at the Royal Carre Theatre for people to pay their last respects. A huge photo of De Vries hung on the building’s facade with text, ”On bended knee is no way to be free.”

On July 6, De Vries, 64, was shot in broad daylight on one of the busiest streets in the Dutch capital Amsterdam after an interview with RTL Boulevard, where he was a regular guest.

He was known for his aggressive and confrontational reporting style, and died on July 15, of his injuries.

The brutal killing of the renowned crime reporter and the author has shocked the Netherlands.

De Vries is most famously known for his bestselling book about the 1983 kidnapping of beer magnate Freddy Heineken. He was indefatigable in his attempts to resolve cold cases and clear the names of wrongfully convicted people. He proved the innocence of two men wrongfully convicted for the murder of stewardess Christel Ambrosius.

Two suspects were arrested shortly after his shooting and remain in custody. Dutch police said the suspected gunman is a 21-year-old Dutchman, and a 35-year-old Polish man living in the Netherlands.

The Dutch public prosecutor said that the killing was motivated by de Vries serving as an adviser to the main witness in the trial of alleged drug kingpin Ridouan Taghi - accused of involvement in murders and attempted murders - according to local reports.

Dutch police have described the alleged leader, Taghi, and other criminal gang members as an “oiled killing machine.

Taghi was extradited to the Netherlands from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in 2019 and remains jailed while standing trial along with 16 other suspects.

New York-based non-profit, Committee to Protect Journalists said, “since it began tracking killings of journalists in 1992, it has never recorded a journalist killed for their journalism in the Netherlands – or even one killed, as de Vries was, in a complex situation where journalism was a potential, but not the only, factor.”

Family and friends have planned a private funeral for De Vries Thursday.