Israeli alleged mobster shot dead in the Netherlands

Police believe ex-con Yitzhak Meiri targeted in planned hit after returning to life of crime, despite 6.5-year jail sentence

By ToI Staff 24 December 2021, 1:08 pm 2

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Illustrative: Dutch police officers near the scene of a stabbing attack near the Central Station in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on August 31, 2018. (AP Photo/Alex Furtula)

An Israeli ex-con living in the Netherlands who had allegedly returned to criminal activity was shot dead Wednesday by an unknown suspect, local authorities said.

Yitzhak Meiri, 56, was shot in the northern city of Amstelveen in what police believe was a planned hit. Officers arrived at the scene shortly after witnesses reported hearing gunshots. They found Meiri still conscious, but he died shortly thereafter in the hospital due to his injuries.

The shooter managed to flee the scene and was still at large as of Friday. Police were engaged in a manhunt and opened an investigation into the shooting.

In 2008, Meiri was sentenced to six and a half years behind bars for blackmailing businessmen in Amsterdam. He was released early but was believed to have returned to a life of crime, according to reports.

Meiri was warned several times in recent years about rival mobsters’ attempts to take his life, including this past summer, Het Parool reported.