Volkert van der Graaf

Volkert van der Graaf (born 9 July 1969) is a Dutch convicted murderer who assassinated politician Pim Fortuyn, the leader of the Pim Fortuyn List (LPF) party, on 6 May 2002.

Van der Graaf worked for the environmental organisation Vereniging Milieu Offensief in Wageningen, which he had co-founded in 1992.

His job involved challenging violators of environmental regulations through litigation.

He concentrated particularly on contesting practices in intensive animal farming and fur farming.

He was said to be highly motivated, working more than the four days per week of his contract.

He was successful at litigation, winning about three out of every four cases.

Van der Graaf shot Fortuyn outside a radio studio in Hilversum shortly after Fortuyn gave an interview during the political campaign for the Dutch general election of 2002.

An environmental and animal rights activist, Van der Graaf stated at his trial that he killed Fortuyn to stop him from exploiting Muslims as "scapegoats" and targeting "the vulnerable sections of society" in seeking political power.

Van der Graaf was arrested shortly after shooting Fortuyn, who died immediately.

In court, Van der Graaf testified that he had become alarmed that Fortuyn was using Muslims and immigrants as scapegoats in a campaign to seek political power.

He thought the politician endangered society with his controversial statements.

On 6 May 2002, Pim Fortuyn was shot outside a radio studio in Hilversum at 6:00 pm, just after he finished an interview.

He was killed instantly.

Interviewer Ruud de Wild witnessed the murder.

Van der Graaf was arrested near the scene of the crime after a pursuit by witnesses.

Details of the suspect were always officially reported as "Volkert van der G.", in accordance with unwritten Dutch privacy practice, but his full name was readily available on the internet.

His home and work addresses were soon circulated on web sites used by Fortuyn's supporters.

Angry supporters gathered in several cities, so several people related to Van der Graaf went into hiding.

His girlfriend and their daughter left their house on the evening of the murder.

The details of the murder emerged later; the accounts of the investigators and Van der Graaf were consistent.

He had planned the attack using information obtained from the Internet; printouts of a map of the scene of the crime and schedules of Fortuyn's appearances were found in his car.

In two boxes of cartridges found at his home, seven cartridges were missing, the exact number loaded in his gun.

The attack has been described as the work of a single person, an amateur shooter who used a relatively simple plan and did not prepare a good escape route.

Van der Graaf purchased his weapons illegally: a semi-automatic Star Firestar M43 pistol in a café in Ede and 9mm cartridges in The Hague.

After the murder of Fortuyn, the gun was linked to a suspect in the robbery of a jeweller in Emmen through DNA material found on the weapon.

On the day of the murder, he attended work in the morning, taking with him a backpack containing the gun, a pair of latex gloves, a baseball cap and a pair of dark glasses.

At the end of the morning, he said he was taking the afternoon off on account of the beautiful weather.

He drove towards Hilversum, knowing that Fortuyn was due to be interviewed in the radio studio of 3FM in the Media Park.

During the trip he stopped several times, among other things to purchase a razor to remove his stubble, which together with the cap and glasses would disguise his appearance, while the gloves would avoid leaving fingerprints.

The razor did not work.

His trial started on 27 March 2003.

He was convicted on 15 April 2003 and sentenced to 18 years in prison.

The trial generated large interest from the Dutch public, especially from supporters of Fortuyn.

Some Fortuyn supporters and political commentators argued that the political left and the media had created a climate that had enabled Van der Graaf's actions through demonising Fortuyn.

After his conviction, Van der Graaf appealed for the reduction of the sentence to 16 years, but on 18 July 2003, the appeals court upheld the previous sentence.

He was released on parole in May 2014 after serving 12 years, two-thirds of his sentence, according to Dutch practice.

His parole ultimately expired on 30 April 2020, giving release from the remaining restrictions.

Van der Graaf was born in Middelburg, in the province of Zeeland.

By the time he attended university in Wageningen, he had become a vegan and an advocate of animal rights.

At the time of the murder he lived with his girlfriend and their infant daughter in Harderwijk.