Motive for Amsterdam stabbing still unknown; Justice Minister cannot rule out terrorism
The motive for the stabbings that left five people injured near Dam Square in Amsterdam on Thursday is still unknown. Justice Minister David van Weel cannot rule out an act of terrorism, he told RTL Nieuws on Thursday. “There is still far too much uncertainty at this stage,” he told the broadcaster. The suspect is in custody.
The apparently random stabbings happened at around 3:15 p.m. on Nieuwzijds Voorburgwal, Sint Nicolaasstraat, and Nieuwendijk, near Dam Square. Those injured include a 67-year-old woman and a 69-year-old man from the United States, a 73-year-old woman from Belgium, a 26-year-old man from Poland, and a 19-year-old Dutch woman living in Amsterdam. Two of the victims were critically injured. The other three sustained serious injuries.
On Thursday evening, the police raided a hotel on Dam Square, near where the stabbings happened. A police spokesperson confirmed to the media that the raid was connected to the investigation into the stabbings. The raid happened after the suspect was in custody.
A receptionist at the hotel told RTL Nieuws that a group of about 20 officers came into the hotel. “They asked for a specific guest and a specific room,” he said, refusing to divulge anything about the person’s identity. “They were inside for an hour to an hour and a half.”
Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema spoke of a “horrible stabbing,” adding that the investigation is “in full swing.”
The stabbings were stopped by a bystander, who pinned down the attacker. According to the police, he performed a citizen’s arrest. That is permitted if a citizen witnesses a crime, a police spokesperson told ANP. “If you catch a suspect red-handed, you are allowed to hold him until the police arrive,” he explained.
The police cordoned off several streets for investigation. They were reopened late last night.
