Stylist set on fire in Enschede hair salon; perpetrator at large

By Janene Pieters on February 3, 2017 - 07:25
Ambulance
AmbulancePhoto: Politie

A hair stylist was set on fire by a masked man in his hair salon in Enschede on Thursday night. According to the police, it was a targeted attack. The perpetrator is still at large.

According to the police, a masked man entered the hair salon on Kottendijk around 6:20 p.m. while the hair stylist was still working on a client's hair. The perpetrator poured a flammable liquid over the stylist then set him on fire. 

The stylist was rushed to the hospital with burns. His condition is unknown. According to Tubantia, a client was also slightly injured, but did not have to go to the hospital.

The motive for this bizarre attack is unclear. The police have not been able to talk to the victim yet, a spokesperson said to NOS on Friday morning. He is still in hospital. "He may be able to tell us why he was set on fire", the spokesperson said. "We will question him if we have the opportunity."

Neighbors noticed little of the attack. "Everything happened inside. Only when the fire department arrived, I went to look", one neighbor said to Tubantia. The hair salon opened a few months ago. "The owner is a nice guy", the owner of a nearby resturaunt said to the newspaper. "I've twice been for a haircut with him. No idea what may have been going on here. I'm really shocked."

The perpetrator fled on foot and then got into a black Seat, speeding away, according to the Telegraaf. The police found a burnt out Seat in Hengelo during the early hours of Friday morning. It is not yet clear if this was the getaway car.

According to Hart van Nederland, there were several car fires in Hengelo on Thursday night and Friday morning. The police could not yet tell the broadcaster whether the car fires are related to the attack, maybe to try and hide the actual getaway car in numbers, but did call it remarkable. The burning cars were parked in a parking lot on Arthur van Schendelstraat in Hengelo. Firefighters could not prevent the cars burning out.

The police call on witnesses of either the attack in the hair salon or the car fires in Hengelo to come forward.

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