Police investigate whether fatal shooting of two Syrian teens in Amsterdam was random

Police say they are investigating the possibility that the two boys shot dead on New Year’s Day in Amsterdam’s Piet Wiedijk Park were killed randomly, according to a statement on Tuesday. Authorities are conducting a new search in the park on Tuesday, since the weapon used in the shooting has still not been recovered.

Two Syrian boys, 16-year-old Mohammad and 18-year-old Mohammed, were fatally shot on the evening of January 1 in a park in Amsterdam’s Nieuw-West district. A third boy escaped, and the shooter fled. On January 20, authorities arrested a 25-year-old man from Amsterdam on suspicion of the killings; he is still in custody.

The two victims were living in a shelter for minor asylum seekers in Amsterdam. In late January, police began a campaign at COA facilities to collect information regarding the deadly shooting.

While police are now investigating a "random killing" theory, earlier reports from Het Parool suggested the shooting might have been linked to a broader conflict in Amsterdam Nieuw-West between Syrian youths and a Spanish-speaking group of South American background.

Investigators are looking for links to a stabbing at Mundus College on December 19, 2025, where a 16-year-old Syrian student was wounded just before the winter break.

Police initially struggled to identify the third teenager who escaped the scene. He has since been identified as a fellow resident of the same asylum shelter and is considered a key witness to the events on the bridge.

Authorities are still calling on witnesses and asking for any available video evidence, from security cameras, dashcams, or video doorbells, to help clarify what happened during the incident.

Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema described the murders as a "horrific and tragic" start to the year, noting the irony that the boys were killed while seeking safety in a new country.

Following the shooting, the city increased police patrols in the Osdorp and Nieuw-West neighborhoods. A mobile police unit was stationed on Pieter Calandlaan to provide a point of contact for concerned residents and potential witnesses. The COA (Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers) has provided intensive counseling to the 80 residents of the Sloterweg facility, where the victims lived, many of whom are also unaccompanied minors.