Perpetrator, victim in ferry hostage situation work for same company
The 47-year-old woman who took a hostage at the TESO ferry in Den Helder on Friday morning, works at the same company as the 33-year-old woman she took hostage, cleaning company Asito confirmed to RTL Nieuws. The two women were on their way to Texel for a job. According to the company, they don't work in the same team.
The older woman took the other woman hostage around 8:20 a.m. on Friday, threatening her with a knife. "Around a quarter past eight we walked through a gate where there was a woman who still smiled at me. I still thought: that's nice", a bystander who saw what happened said to the broadcaster. "Someone was walking behind us. She was suddenly grabbed. She screamed very loudly. I did not realize at first, only later we saw what was happening. I only saw the start. It did not come across as if the two were having a fight. It was immediately knife at the throat."
The police overpowered the woman around 10:40 a.m. Both hostage and hostage taker were not hurt, but are in shock, the police said. A doctor was called to the police station to determine whether the suspect could be questioned.
According to the police, it looks as if the victim was chosen at random. As far as they can determine, there is no quarrel between the two women. What the woman's motive was for taking the other woman hostage, is not yet clear.