Man suspected of stabbing five people in De Pijp asked for psychiatric medication
Those in the Netherlands in life threatening danger should immediately dial 112 for emergency services. Anyone suffering from depression or contemplating suicide may call 113 Zelfmoordpreventie at any time by dialing either 113 or 0800-0113. Counselors at De Luisterlijn may also be reached at 088-0767000, or volunteers may be reached at one of their local numbers. A list of suicide crisis hotlines outside the Netherlands is available on Wikipedia.
The man who has been suspected of randomly attacking five people with a knife in De Pijp asked for psychiatric medication on the day of the attack, AT5 reported. One of the victims, a 64-year-old man, died as a result of the incident while the remaining four were injured.
The suspect, 30-year-old Mustafa S., said during an introductory session at the court in Amsterdam that he had been suffering from depression for a longer period of time. S. stated he began hearing voices in April.
S. raised his concerns to his GP who sent him to a crisis center. The crisis center gave him medication but not did deem S. aggressive.
The complaints of the suspect worsened after he returned from a trip to Egypt and he had finished his medication. His mother frantically called the GGZ who referred her to the GP, stating that the department responsible for S. was closed.
On May 21, the day of the attack, S. went to his GP to ask for medication but he did not receive it. Afterward, S. tried to kill himself before going to De Pijp and knifing five random passers-by.
The suspect will now be evaluated by a psychologist and a psychiatrist. The results of the evaluation will be published in September. S. reportedly tried to commit suicide once more since his arrest.
The trial will begin on November 4.