Erasmus Bridge stabbing victims from Rotterdam & Switzerland; Witness tackled suspect

The police identified the fatal victim of a knife attack at the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam as a 32-year-old man from the city. A 33-year-old man from Switzerland was seriously hurt. The suspect, arrested after a witness tackled him and overpowered him with the help of other bystanders, is a 22-year-old man from Amersfoort, the police said.

The police received the first report of the attack at around 8:00 p.m. on Thursday. Emergency services found two critically injured men at the scene. Paramedics tried to resuscitate the Rotterdam man, but he succumbed to his injuries. They rushed the Swiss man to a hospital.

Bystanders overpowered the suspect, and the police arrested him. He, too, was injured and taken to a hospital for treatment.

So far, the police have not said anything about a possible motive. Witnesses said the man was rushing to a crowded terrace with two large knives when the bystander overpowered him. He reportedly shouted “Allahu akbar,” a phrase meaning ‘God is most great” used by Muslims in prayers, during the attack.

Reniël, a 32-year-old personal trainer in Rotterdam, was the one who tackled the perpetrator. He told Rijnmond that he heard shouting, thought it was a fight, and went to try and calm the situation. “But when I started running in that direction, I saw that it wasn’t a fight but a man with two long knives. He was stabbing another young guy,” Reniël said.

“I screamed and got his attention. I saw him and started running. I ran to my bag. I had two squat sticks. I had broken them in half. I saw that everyone was keeping him at a distance with chairs,” Reniël told the broadcaster. “He was waving the knives. And then he came to me. I gave him a few taps in the face. I overpowered him. He had two large meat knives with him. I took them away and then threw them in the corner.”

Other bystanders helped detain the man until the police arrested him. Reniël walked away with a dislocated pinky finger, which he was able to put back himself. “I can laugh now, but it was very scary,” he told Rijnmond.