Dutch lawyer murdered: Defended witness in drug-related murder case

A Dutch lawyer in a high-profile case against a group of men accused of drug-related murders was shot dead outside his home in Amsterdam today.

Police said the victim was 44-year-old Derk Wirsum, the defense lawyer for Nabil Bakali, a key witness in the case against 16 men accused of five murders and one attempted murder in the Netherlands between 2015 and 2017, Reuters reported.

Bakali's brother, who police said had no ties to the hitman gang, was killed at his workplace last year, a week after authorities identified Bakali as a witness, Reuters added.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said today's killing was "extremely disturbing" and that police officials had organized crisis meetings.

The Dutch counter-terrorism agency, NCTV, is in charge of the investigation, Justice Minister Ferd Graperhaus said.

"This is an attack on our rule of law," Graperhaus said of the killing of the prominent lawyer.

He added that teams have been formed to secure other officials involved in the case, which is an unusual measure in the Netherlands.

Reuters reports that there are growing concerns about crime in Amsterdam, a city of 800 people, where police have long tolerated recreational drug use and where the number of dealers and suppliers has grown.

A report last month commissioned by city officials said "a motley crew of narcotics criminals, a ring of swindlers and parasites, brokers and extortionists, dubious notaries and real estate agents were given free rein."

Police said they are looking for a man aged 16 to 20, dressed in black, who fled after the shooting at 7:30 a.m. local time.

It is not known that any of those involved in the case had additional security.

Bakali is one of the defendants in the case, which is expected to go to trial next year, but since 2017 he has given police more than 1.500 foreign statements against the group in exchange for a lighter sentence, according to preliminary court proceedings.

The main suspect in this case is 41-year-old Riduan Taghi, who is still at large.

Through his lawyer, he denied all the charges.

The other suspects, 11 of whom are in custody, have not yet pleaded guilty.