After the attack, the Dutch society is in a state of shock which has seen de Vries for years on TV handling – and solving – notable cases, including some of the most illustrious judicial errors in Dutch crime history, stated an AL Jazeera report.

Though the 64-year-old journalist and TV presenter has made several enemies over the years, the motive behind the attack could not be ascertained till now, the report added.

de Vries’s son, Royce said in a tweet that the family's worst nightmare came true on Tuesday.

“Yesterday our worst nightmare became reality. We as a family surround Peter with love and hope during this difficult phase. Much is still uncertain, but what is certain is that all expressions of support from all over the country now offer enormous support," Royce wrote on his Twitter handle.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte said at a news conference in The Hague that the attack on de Vries was “shocking and inconceivable”.

“It’s an attack on a courageous journalist and by extension an attack on the freedom of the press, which is so essential for our democracy and rule of law,” he said.

Probable Cause

Wouter Laumans, a crime reporter with Dutch daily Het Parool, told Al Jazeera: “Last year, de Vries acted as confidential counsellor for the crown witness in the trial against Ridouan Taghi, a prominent crime boss who was arrested in Dubai in 2019.

“With this, de Vries chose a camp in a very explosive underworld conflict in which many people have already been killed.”

Taghi, a Morroccon born notorious criminal, has been wanted on international arrest warrants on account of several murders and drug trafficking.

The Al Jazeera report citing Dutch media said the organisation he allegedly ran is linked to nine assassinations and several failed murder attempts.