Man who threatened passengers, crew on Amsterdam ferry released from custody

The court released a 53-year-old Georgian man who threatened several passengers and two crew members with a knife on the ferry to Amsterdam-Noord in mid-August from custody. The court released Tedore K. during a pro-forma hearing because his sentence may be lower than the time spent in pre-trial detention, AT5 reports.

Police were notified that a man with a knife was threatening ferry passengers at about 5:30 a.m. on August 16. There were two dozen people on board at the time, including two crew members. The crew members locked themselves in their cabin after K. banged on the windows with a knife. The man had also poured oil onto the floor of the ferry and threatened to light it.

Adding a further complication, once the boat from Central Station arrived at the Buiksloterweg ferry port, the exit ramp malfunctioned, forcing passengers to try to escape over the barrier. Police believe the man damaged the ramp, making it inoperable.

The suspect was arrested at the scene at gunpoint, and the two crew members were freed. During their investigation, the police allegedly found the knife the man waved at passengers.

The Public Prosecution Service (OM) charged the man with serious threats but dropped an attempted arson charge because the oil he used was not easily flammable. Without the attempted arson charge, the man’s sentence may turn out lower than the time he spent in pre-trial custody, the court decided, releasing him from custody on Wednesday.

The OM opposed the decision, arguing that the man is a flight risk and may not show up for his trial on January 18. The Georgian man is undocumented in the Netherlands and has no fixed place of residence, the prosecutor said.

K. told the court that he acted out of desperation. He said he came to the Netherlands from Poland to work, but he could not find anyone who spoke his language and could help him find work and a place to stay. He was exhausted because he had not slept for a week. The threats and vandalism were a cry for help, he said. “If I am released and can go back to Poland, I will be very happy,” he said at the hearing.

The prosecutor argued that K. caused quite a harrowing situation on the ferry. “There was great panic because the passengers were stuck on the ferry. The lights had also gone out, and you are in the middle of the IJ,” the prosecutor said. “It is not only a threat with a knife, but also a threat of arson. The passengers didn’t know that the oil wasn’t very flammable. They saw someone cutting open barrels of oil with a knife and pouring them across the deck.” The passengers were “like rats in a trap,” the prosecutor said.