In the wild shooting at 25-year-old Amsterdammer Youssef El Kahtaoui on May 13, 2015 everything went wrong. El Kathaoui happened to be driving through the De Clerqstraat in Amsterdam-West past a shishalounge, where two armed men were looking for a third party, which they wanted to hold a collection for. The weapons they brought with told a different story. One person held an automatic weapon, the other a handgun. A random visitor also drew a weapon as a reaction and a shooting broke out.

The man with the automatic rifle, standing at the door, was hit and crawled out. He shot out from the ground. The unsuspecting El Kahtaoui got out of his Volkswagen Golf and was hit by the gunman with the automatic rifle. As if that was not enough, the shooter walked to El Kathaoui to shoot him again. A passing tram also caught bullets. The travelers had to dive for their lives. The shooter then walked back to the shisha lounge and stepped on a scooter with his partner. El Kathaoui died on the spot.

S. has always claimed that he was not the one with the automatic pistol, but that he was holding the handgun. The judges made mince from that scenario. The facts exclude this alternative. A witness reported that the shooter with the automatic pistol had a Surinamese accent and S. also fits exactly in the description that several people gave. His DNA was found on one of the found bullets.

The court stated that there is even premeditation. It was never a preconceived plan to shoot down El Kathaoui, but the weapons indicate that the two archers expected it to become violent. A target search in a full shishalounge – even if it is for a collection – with the weapons at the ready, is the same in court as the calculation of victims.

The District Court also considers the preparations for the liquidation on 1 June last year in Almere, with El J. as the intended target. The police foiled the liquidation.

The judge blamed Mr S. for not giving him openness during the trial. He especially appealed to his right to remain silent. He seems like a professional hitman. But he does not yet have a similar major offense on his criminal record. That is why the judge deviates with some mildness from the demand for life. S. heard the judgment unmoved.