Police arrest 14-year-old for assault on Museumplein and extortion via Snapchat

The police arrested a 14-year-old on Thursday in Amsterdam-Zuid for assault and extortion via Snapchat. He was arrested near the end of the afternoon on the Joh. M. Coenenstraat after a boy had been assaulted on the Museumplein an hour earlier following a threat via Snapchat.

Police are investigating the case and the role of the suspect in other snapchat extortion cases. The examining magistrate decided on Friday that the boy would remain in pre-trial detention.

Reports came in two weeks ago that a lot of school children from Amsterdam-Zuid have been extorted via Snapchat. Similar reports have come in from Amstelveen, Amsterdam-Oost, and Amsterdam-West.

The schoolchildren were sent a message via Snapchat that they had to pay a fine because they had caused a nuisance to a stranger. The fine was often worth a few hundred euros.

This then led to threats of hurting the victim or the person’s family if the money was not paid. “There have also been reports that young people were told that they would be given a ‘discount’ to their fine if they supply the names of other young people, who could then be extorted,” said the police, who are trying to get in contact with the victims.