Car smashes into pedestrians at Amsterdam central station; An accident, says suspect
This story was updated several times before 11 p.m. on 10 June 2017 as new information developed.
At least eight people were injured when a car sped out of control in front of Amsterdam Centraal Station, crashing through a group of pedestrians before coming to a stop against a concrete entrance to the subway station below. The driver of the dark green or black Peugeot was taken into custody by police at the scene.
Two of those injured were seriously hurt, police said. The incident happened before 9 p.m. on Saturday.
"I heard a thud," witness Moiko Schraa told RTL Nieuws. "Then I spun myself around and I saw a car. Within thirty seconds the area was completely full of police."
Authorities initially said the driver was fleeing from an area where cars are not allowed when officers approached the vehicle. However, authorities later said the driver became incapacitated, leading to the crash against the barrier.
Officers interviewed the suspect, police confirmed on Twitter after 10 p.m. "It does not seem to be intentional, but that he became unwell," officers said in a Tweet, adding that the investigation would continue to determine all the facts of the case. The car was eventually towed to a police facility.
Fears of a terrorist attack were shared by many after a series of recent attacks involving vehicles crashed into people in major European cities, and following the arrest of a suspected "radicalized" person outside of the PSV Stadion in Eindhoven during a concert Friday night.
"Is ISIS Behind the Amsterdam Central Train Station Car Ramming?" screamed a headline from Heavy.com. "So nervous to travel #amsterdamcentraal," wrote Twitter user Kelly Martin.
One week ago, a van was driven into pedestrians on London Bridge in London, England, before those in the van ran to the Borough Market to stab people indiscriminately. The attack left eight dead and 48 injured. Multiple people were killed in Stockholm, Sweden two months ago when a truck was driven into a department store there. A car also crashed into a crowd at Westminster in London this past March, killing four and leaving 50 hurt, before the driver stabbed and killed a police officer.
The apparent accident did not have an impact on train travel, with only the eastern entrance of the train station closed as part of the emergency response.
Multiple trams were impacted by the accident, as nine different tram lines use Amsterdam Centraal as an endpoint. Trams 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 13, 17, 24 and 26 all had modified routes as of 10:30 p.m. Tram 14, which turns west at Dam Square instead of heading north on Damrak to the train station, was also subject to a changed schedule.