The renowned Dutch crime reporter Peter de Vries, known for his work in exposing the criminal underworld, was shot and seriously wounded on a street in Amsterdam on Tuesday.

According to local Dutch media De Vries was shot five times, including in the head. Three suspects have been detained.

Jamie Wiseman, advocacy Officer for the International Press Institute (IPI) ,said to Al Jazeera: “The shooting of courageous crime journalist Peter R. de Vries is another dark day for media freedom in the European Union. It is an attack not just on the journalistic community, but also on media freedom and the county’s democracy. Sadly, it shows that even journalists in a country with one of the highest levels of media freedom in the world are still not safe.’

Wiseman added: ‘To see yet another reporter who has spent their career fighting for justice and exposing criminal acts gunned down in broad daylight in the street is shocking, and highlights the significant threats that investigative journalists are under, even with the EU. We urge Dutch authorities to carry out a swift an through investigation to ensure that those responsible for carrying our and ordering this heinous attack face justice.’

De Vries became well-known for his investigative work following the 1983 kidnapping of beer magnate Freddy Heineken.

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