Highway A2 was completely closed on Thursday after the incident. Van den Heuvel just came from De Telegraaf in Amsterdam, he says. “We would make a short stopover and then to an appointment in the south of the country,” said the journalist. „I was concentrated on calling a father for the program kidnapped and didn’t realize what was happening around me. I realized that we were going faster and faster. The flashing lights on and the siren.”
Van den Heuvel was shaken when the armored car drove over the bicycle path to get rid of the pursuer. “It went pretty rough, but I kept calling.”
Two hundred kilometers per hour
The vehicles entered the A10 ring road and the pace continued to pick up. “I asked irritated if the siren could be turned off because I was on the phone. Those policemen remained polite and said: ‘We have to because there is an incident’. I cut off the phone call and the police officer said, “We’re going to a detention site, not south.” We drove on at about two hundred kilometers per hour. I often notice on the highway that people drive next to or behind the convoy to see who is in it. Then a sign pops up saying ‘keep your distance, police’. People usually do that. So I first thought of curious people. It wasn’t until I got to the police station that I was told what was going on. The impression of my security guards was that we were followed from Amsterdam by two motor scooters. As we entered the ring, a fast Audi gave chase as well. Not that week. Possibly there was also a second Audi. That gave them a very unpleasant feeling, it was the deciding factor to drive quickly to a safe place.”
‘A kind of handyman’
Van den Heuvel believes that his protectors have acted accurately. It is still not certain whether it was an intimidation attempt or an actual attack. “It may still be a bluff. Then it was extremely stupid.”
No weapons were found in the Audi, but a balaclava and a crypto telephone often used by criminals. The driver was Mourad O., who appears in the investigation into the murder of Ranko Scekic in 2016. “Known to the police. No serious crimes, but someone from those regions. A kind of handyman for legal and illegal activities.”