Police have arrested a suspect in connection with the shooting of a man of Iranian origin in Schoonhoven last Thursday. The suspect, a 27-year-old man, was detained in the German city of Dortmund.

The victim, who worked for the Dutch police, was shot in the street in the South Holland town at around 7am and was seriously injured. No details about his current condition have been released.

The suspect is being held in Germany pending an extradition request for his transfer to the Netherlands.

The police now say they found the firearm used in the shooting on the day of the incident itself in a nearby waterway. The suspected getaway car, a Toyota Yaris, has also been impounded.

“The investigation led quickly to the identity of suspect with no fixed address, and the suspicion he could be in Germany,” the police statement said.

Detectives are still trying to establish more information about the car and believe it may already have been in the Schoonhoven area in the days before the shooting.

Justice minister David van Weel said earlier he could not rule out the possibility that Iran was behind the attack. The fact that the victim is Iranian and had spoken out against the regime is something that must be taken seriously, he said.