Man held in Leiden stabbing accused of murder; Second suspect released

A 38-year-old man who was arrested on Monday afternoon in connection with a fatal stabbing in Leiden is formally suspected of murdering one person and attempting to murder two others, the Public Prosecution Service in The Hague said. The Leiden resident was remanded into custody for another 14 days by an examining magistrate on Thursday.

The stabbing happened at the Diaonaal Center De Bakkerij on Oude Rijn in the center of Leiden last Friday. A 66-year-old man was stabbed to death. Two others were injured in the stabbing. The perpetrator fled the scene.

Initially, the police had another person of interest in custody. A 39-year-old man from Leiden was arrested on Friday afternoon after an hours-long manhunt, but the police released him on Wednesday. The man is no longer considered a suspect in the case.

A spokesperson for the police said that the information that emerged during the investigation on Friday put the police on his trail. The examining magistrate also looked into their theory on Monday and ruled that there was sufficient reason to arrest the 39-year-old, she said. “So we didn’t just pick someone off the street.”

However, after extensive investigation, the 39-year-old Leiden resident was no longer suspected of involvement in the fatal stabbing. That makes the 38-year-old the sole suspect in the case. Police have not said whether the two men know each other. A possible connection is being investigated.

The 38-year-old has been kept in restricted custody and was only allowed contact with his lawyer.