Respect privacy of victims in Amsterdam terrorist attack, U.S. embassy asks
The United States embassy in the Netherlands asked all parties to respect the privacy of two Americans injured in an "unprovoked, horrifying attack" at Amsterdam Central Station on Friday afternoon. The police believe it was a terrorist attack.
The two American tourists were stabbed by 19-year-old Jawed S., a Afghan man with a residency permit in Germany. "From the suspect's initial statements, it appears terrorism was his motive," the city of Amsterdam said in a joint statement with police and the Justice Ministry on Saturday. The Afghan man was not known to the German authorities as an extremist, the German police said to news agency DPA on Sunday.
In a statement posted on the U.S. embassy's website on Sunday, the embassy asks for privacy for the "victims and their families at this difficult time". The U.S. stands with the Netherlands in the fight against terrorism, the embassy said. "We stand ready to assist Dutch authorities in their investigations as appropriate. We thank the Dutch police and medical personnel for their effective and courageous efforts to apprehend the assailant and care for our citizens."
The two Americans were still in hospital by Sunday evening, according to NU.nl. They sustained serious, but not life-threatening injuries.
Suspect Jawed S. was shot by the police before being arrested. He will be arraigned on Monday. The man is currently in restricted custody in the Netherlands, which means he is only allowed contact with his lawyer.
