Woman in intensive care after Rotterdam rape

A young woman was attacked and raped in front of her home on Herman Bavinckstraat in Rotterdam on Saturday morning. She was rushed to hospital, where she underwent surgery and is currently still in intensive care. So far the police were unable to extensively talk to her. The police are looking for a dark-skinned man of around 20. He was wearing a dark colored hoodie and cycling on a dark colored bicycle.

The victim cycled from Rotterdam Centraal to her home early on Saturday morning. She arrived at her home around 5:30 a.m. and was attacked while she was locking her bike. The police believe her attacker may have followed her home.

Police officers spoke to local residents and are investigating the possible routes the young woman could have taken on her way home. They are also looking at surveillance camera footage and investigating the tips they received. The police are calling on witnesses to come forward.

According to newspaper AD, there are reports that the young woman was strangled with a bicycle chain during the attack, but the police would not confirm this.

"It was brutal", an older neighbor said to the newspaper. "It was already light. Everyone could have seen it." She was watching television, with the curtains still closed, at the time. "I heard someone running. Then I heard 'no' and moaning. I did not go look, because I thought it was young people coming back from a night out. If I had known, I would have called the police."