Suspect in Somali man's death in The Hague claims he left the scene before the violence

One of the four suspects accused in the fatal assault of a 23-year-old Somali man on the Plein in The Hague said he walked away from the scene before a brawl took place in July. Mahmoud M. admitted to striking the victim’s friend, but said he left before the violence escalated. The 23-year-old suspect told the District Court of The Hague that he tried to get two co-defendants to leave with him, but he ended up leaving the scene by himself.

The two fellow suspects are scheduled to appear in court in January. It is not been announced yet when the fourth suspect will appear in court. The last mentioned is also not in pre-trial detention.

An argument occurred between a group of people on the Lange Poten in the city center of The Hague on the night hours of July 20 leading into July 21. This continued on the nearby Plein. The Somalian and the friend that he was with were hit.

“Senseless nightlife violence,” the prosecutor said about the incident. The reason for the fight seems futile, but what it was is not entirely clear. According to the prosecutor, it is in any case "a disproportionate response to a minor cause.”

M.’s lawyer said that his client walked away from the Plein, where the fatal violence allegedly took place, and also tried to get his fellow suspects to leave too. “He gestured to them to leave,” M. said that he did not know what happened after he left the location.

The Somali man died of his injuries in the hospital. The victim was staying in an asylum seekers center in Heerhugowaard, Noord-Holland. The four suspects, all in their begin 20s, are from Germany and were arrested there at the beginning of August. They have been extradited to the Netherlands.

The court decided during the preliminary hearing that M. had to stay in pre-trial detention until the next preliminary hearing. This will take place on March 11. The fellow suspects will appear in front of the judge on January 9 and January 10.

It is still unclear when the substance of the case can be dealt with, partly because the investigation has not yet been completed.