Dutch girl, 10, stable after Gothenburg stabbing; Suspect has criminal record

A 10-year-old Dutch girl who got stabbed in the stomach in Gothenburg city center on Thursday afternoon is in a “serious but stable” condition, the police said on Friday. The police have found no connection between the 35-year-old man in custody for the stabbing and the young victim or her family. The suspect has a criminal record and mental health problems, local media reported.

The girl from Amsterdam was in the Swedish city visiting her grandparents. The child and her grandmother were walking through Brunnsparken, one of the busiest central areas in the city, when the man attacked her around 12:35 p.m. on Thursday. The man stabbed the child multiple times, including in her stomach.

Her grandmother got stabbed in the arm during the incident, presumably as she tried to protect the girl. The grandmother’s injuries weren’t serious, and she is no longer in the hospital.

Bystanders overpowered the 35-year-old man, and the police took him into custody. Investigators found two knives at the scene of the crime.

According to the local broadcaster SVT, the suspect has several convictions on his criminal record, including for the aggravated robbery of a watch shop using an automatic rifle and for assaulting a fellow prisoner without provocation. The man has mental health problems, likely aggravated by drug addiction, the broadcaster wrote.

The man now faces attempted murder or manslaughter charges after attacking the girl. “Prosecutors will shortly request the man be remanded in custody,” the police said.