WILLEMSTAD:— On Wednesday, February 24, 2021, at the request of the Public Prosecutor’s Office Curaçao, the 36-year-old J.K. was arrested in the Netherlands in a large-scale investigation called Themis. J.K. is suspected to have been involved in a shooting that is known on Curaçao as the “Hato shooting”. On July 15, 2014, two persons were shot to death with automatic firearms at the Curaçao International Airport. Seven bystanders at the airport were wounded. Five suspects were previously arrested in this case. The two shooters were sentenced to life imprisonment. The other three suspects were sentenced to terms of 12, 14, and 24 years.
J.K. is accused of involvement in the murders. Because J.K. was residing in the Netherlands, the Curaçao Public Prosecutor’s Office, with the order of Curaçao examining judge, requested the Netherlands for his arrest and transfer to Curaçao. J.K. has meanwhile been transferred to Curaçao and will be brought before the examining judge in Curaçao this week.
Themis is an investigation regarding offenses that have been committed in several countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and abroad. Therefore, a special investigation team was formed for this research, consisting of members of the police forces of Sint Maarten, Curaçao, Aruba, and the Joint Criminal Investigation Team (RST). This investigation team is under the leadership of the Public Prosecutor’s Office Sint Maarten and the Public Prosecutor’s Office Curaçao.
Earlier arrests have taken place in this investigation in November 2020 and in February 2021.
Anyone with information that can help the investigation team can reach the team at the following telephone/Whatsapp numbers: +5999 521 3865 (Curaçao).
Those who prefer to remain anonymous can share information through the following tip lines (also Whatsapp): +5999 679 2896 (Curaçao) or +1 721 553 0561 (Sint Maarten).
Prosecutor’s Office Press Release.
