The Public Prosecution Service believes it has caught the shooter in an Amsterdam murder case from almost ten years ago. Two anonymous witnesses have reportedly identified Eedward N., writes news agency ANP on Tuesday. N. was arrested in early April.
The murder case revolves around 29-year-old Abderrahim Belhadj. ‘Appie’ was shot in 2016 in the doorway of the Amsterdam flat Kikkenstein. The case is part of the extensive Marengo liquidation process. Main suspect Ridouan Taghi is said to have initiated the murder.
One of the witnesses reportedly heard from N. himself that he was the shooter and also recognized him in images. The other reportedly heard from others that N. committed the murder.
According to N.’s lawyers, there is no evidence that he shot Belhadj. His DNA material was reportedly found on several bullet casings in the doorway. “But there are also several casings without his DNA found,” his lawyer tells ANP. According to her, those traces do not necessarily mean that N. was there, because a casing can be moved.
N. had previously been convicted of a violent kidnapping. He was arrested in his cell for the murder case in April and is still in pre-trial detention.
The Amsterdam court rejected his lawyers’ request to release him on Tuesday. N. was not present at this first preliminary hearing. His lawyers said that there is a stomach flu outbreak in the penitentiary institution where he is being held. The suspect also appears to have been affected by the disease.
Jason L. previously sentenced to eighteen years in prison
Earlier in the process, Jason L. was sentenced to eighteen years in prison. He and the victim were acquaintances. They met on the day in question at a club in Amsterdam.
L. later asked via WhatsApp whether Belhadj wanted to come to his home. He pretended that there were several women there. Belhadj accepted the invitation and had to come to the last doorway near the house. When ‘Appie’ arrived there, he was immediately taken under fire.
At the time of the shooting, L. was already on his way to Rotterdam. He is therefore not the shooter, but according to the court of appeal, he did play “a crucial role in the cold-blooded liquidation”. L. had previously been convicted of attempted murder and theft with violence.