Suspect reportedly shouted "Allahu akbar" in Erasmus Bridge stabbing; One dead, one hurt

A man attacked two people with knives at the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam on Thursday evening, killing one and leaving the other seriously injured. The police have arrested the man. Several witnesses reported that he shouted “Allahu akbar,” a phrase meaning ‘God is most great” used by Muslims in prayers, during the attack.

The Rotterdam police reported the incident on X at around 9:00 p.m., saying they were investigating what happened and offering witnesses support.

A police spokesperson told Rijnmond that it seems like the suspect stabbed the first victim in the parking garage under the Erasmus Bridge. He then walked up the stairs and attacked a second victim at the foot of the bridge. After that, the perpetrator ran toward a terrace where many people were sitting.

“I heard people screaming and at first thought it was a fight. My instinct was to calm him down immediately, but when I got closer, I saw a man with two long knives stabbing a young man,” witness Reniël, a personal trainer who was giving a lesson at the time, told Rijnmond.

According to Reniël, the man had two meat knives, and he was running toward an event with about 60 people present. They panicked and ran inside while the perpetrator chased them. Reniël decided to intervene. He and five other bystanders overpowered the man in front of Remastered, a space for exhibitions. The police arrested him there. The perpetrator was injured, and the police took him to a hospital.

The police cordoned off various locations around the Erasmus Bridge for investigation and interviewed witnesses. Investigators urged anyone who saw what happened but haven’t spoken to them yet to come forward.

So far, the police have said nothing about the suspect’s identity or possible motives.