The police arrested a 27-year-old man on Wednesday evening in connection with the attack on a police officer of Iranian origin in Schoonhoven last week. The police report this in a statement.
The man was arrested in Dortmund, West Germany. According to the police, he has no permanent place of residence. He is currently stuck in Germany awaiting transfer to the Netherlands. In order not to disrupt the ongoing investigation, the police say they are reluctant to share further information.
Last Thursday, the victim, a 36-year-old IT employee of the police, was met at his house and shot. He was seriously injured and has been in hospital in critical condition ever since. The firearm was found on the day of the shooting incident. The suspected getaway car was also seized.
The victim was an activist with more than 40,000 followers on Instagram. He called on Iranians to revolt and was a fanatical supporter of Reza Pahlavi, son of the Iranian Shah. In a Telegram group he gave Iranian activists tips on how to circumvent the internet blockade. He also asked Iranians to pass on military-strategic locations that are sensitive to the regime. For this reason, the possibility of involvement of the Iranian regime in the attack is being taken seriously.
“The fact that he is Iranian, that he spoke out against the regime, is something we must of course take seriously,” Minister David van Weel (VVD) of Justice and Security said last week.
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