Peter de Vries didn’t make it. The well-known Dutch investigative journalist, wounded on 6 July in an armed ambush, died today in hospital, according to reports from his family. De Vries, 64, had been wounded with five shots nine days ago: a shooting in broad daylight as he left the television studios. Rushed to hospital, his condition immediately appeared critical. “Peter fought to the end, but he lost,” the family said in a statement on RTL private television. “When he died he was surrounded by people who loved him,” the funeral has not yet been set.
De Vries had become famous with his report on the kidnapping of Heineken millionaire Freddy Heineken in 1983. He had recently been involved in a trial against one of the most wanted drug barons in the country. The ambush on De Vries sparked a broad reaction, with senior European official Charles Michel calling it an “attack on our values”. Two suspects were arrested shortly after the shooting and appeared briefly in court last Friday. For now they remain in custody