Memorial held for Romanian woman stabbed to death in Albert Heijn

A memorial was held on Friday for the 36-year-old Albert Heijn employee Antoneta Gjokja, who was stabbed on Tuesday just after the supermarket opened in the center of The Hague. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The police arrested a 56-year-old man outside the store as a suspect.

Albert Heijn opened a condolence register for Antoneta. "We are deeply saddened by this event. It is with great sadness and deep sorrow that we learned of the death of our highly valued colleague from the bakery department," the Dutch supermarket wrote. The condolence book will be handed to the family at a later date, Omroep West reported.

The Dutch supermarket chain also flew the company flag at half-staff at its headquarters and at several distribution centers and branches, the regional broadcast wrote.

According to the spokesperson, the flag will hang at half-staff for four days, including on the day the Romanian woman's funeral will be held. She had been working in The Hague since 2017. The Dutch supermarket has also opened a condolence register that is only accessible to all employees of the supermarket, according to the spokesperson.

Jamel L., the man suspected of stabbing a supermarket employee in The Hague last Tuesday appealed to the municipality for help. In doing so, the 56-year-old showed aggressive and intimidating behavior. According to the municipality, due to his behavior, it was not possible to find suitable accommodation for him in the short term.

The suspect applied for help "due to insufficient income" in April. Almost two weeks ago he applied for shelter, and on June 13 he had an intake interview. "During the various contacts with the suspect, verbal aggression and intimidation occurred," the mayor of The Hague, Jan van Zanen, announced on Friday. The municipality recorded this in an internal system and also passed it on to the police. As a result of the incidents, Jamel L. was no longer allowed to enter municipal buildings, including the city hall and district offices. According to the municipality, it is not known where Jamel L. stayed the week before the fatal stabbing.

Furthermore, the police confirm that there has been "a meeting" with the municipality about the concerns that existed. However, a spokesperson could not comment on what the police planned to do about the matter at that time.

The man has a long criminal history in the Netherlands, England, and Curaçao. In 2018, a prison sentence was imposed on him in Curaçao, but the Netherlands refused to adopt that measure. Documents from the court in Curaçao obtained by ANP indicate that this was not possible "partly because of the costs".

Earlier this month, Jamel L. was sentenced by the Rotterdam court for threatening municipal employees "in the Rotterdam region." He had been serving his sentence in pre-trial detention and was therefore released immediately after the verdict. The court said Thursday that it had not been informed regarding the sentence imposed on him in Curaçao.