Dutch journalist fighting for his life after getting gunned down outside television studio

A well-known Dutch investigative journalist was shot multiple times in Amsterdam shortly after appearing on television.

On July 6 around 7:30 p.m., Peter R. de Vries, 64, left a TV studio after he was a guest on the program RTL Boulevard. When he got to a nearby side street, he was shot at close range five times, including in the head, the European Federation of Journalists reported.

Police took three people into custody in connection with the shooting, and the journalist is currently in critical condition fighting for his life.

“This hits journalism right in the heart,” the General Secretary of the Dutch Journalists’ Association Thomas Bruning said. “Of course, it remains to be seen what De Vries’ activities are related to, but the attack took place outside RTL Boulevard. De Vries is a fierce crimefighter, persistent and courageous. We can only hope he survives.”

According to EFJ, before the shooting, de Vries was working as a counselor to a state witness on a case against Ridouan Taghi, who is accused of drug trafficking and murder.

In the past, de Vries has hosted a crime program and covered criminal cases for multiple publications.

“We are shocked by this attack against a journalist who has reported extensively on matters of public concerns and has taken huge risks to tell the truth,” IFJ President Younes Mjahed said.