Police raid Amsterdam hotel after knife attack leaves five badly wounded
Police in Amsterdam raided a hotel in the city center in connection with the investigation into a stabbing that left two victims critically injured and three others seriously wounded on Thursday afternoon. The suspect in the case was arrested soon after the apparently random stabbings.
A police tactical unit carried out the raid at the hotel on Damrak several hours after the 3:15 p.m. incident, a spokesperson confirmed to both Hart van Nederland and ANP. The investigation at the hotel was directly linked to the case involving the violence earlier in the day, police said.
It was not immediately clear if police searched any rooms in the hotel. The spokesperson did not say whether investigators entered any items into evidence.
"It is true that we carried out a raid on the Damrak, and that is in connection with the investigation into the stabbing this afternoon. We cannot provide any further details," the spokesperson told Hart van Nederland.
The hotel is located a short distance from the Nieuwzijds Voorburgwal, Sint Nicolaasstraat, and Nieuwendijk, where the stabbings took place. 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.
Police have not said which two victims were most critically injured. The suspect was also suffered an injury to his leg when he was pinned down on Gravenstraat at Nieuwendijk by a good samaritan. After his arrest, he was taken to an area hospital, police confirmed.
"The police investigation is continuing and has top priority at the moment," said Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema. "We hope to soon gain more clarity about the background behind this horrible stabbing," she continued.
"Our hearts go out to the victims, their families and loved ones."
