Amsterdam home to fourth of all 99 Dutch homicides in 2016

Nearly a quarter of all the murders and manslaughters committed in the Netherlands this year, were committed in Amsterdam. Throughout the Netherlands 99 people were killed by violence so far this year, 23 of the victims died in Amsterdam, according to figures from moordatlas.nl, AD reports.

Last year there were a total of 115 homocides in the Netherlands, with the 100th victim dying on November 8th. So far it seems likely that there will be fewer homicides this year, following the downward trend of the past years.

As in previous years, there are still a number of cases in which it is unclear whether homicide was involved. For example, this year's 100th victim may well be a 72-year-old man who died in a house fire in Emmer-Compascuum on Tuesday. His wife was arrested, but it is not yet clear what happened.

The number of murder and manslaughter cases in Amsterdam increased significantly this year, compared to last year. In 2015 there were 15 violent deaths in Amsterdam, compared to this year's running total of 23. Last year Brabant was the murder region of the Netherlands with 24 murders. This year there were 12 in the province so far. 

Amsterdam also takes the dubious honor of the most gruesome murder of 2016, so far. In March 23-year-old Nabil Amzieb was beheaded in an assassination. His head was left on the street in front of a shisha lounge. The other prominent murder happened earlier that same month. Millionaire business man Koen Everink was stabbed to death in his home in Bilthoven.