Beheaded doll at Amsterdam mosque: Arrest made in Hoofddorp

The police arrested a 35-year-old man from Hoofddorp on Wednesday in connection with a bloody, decapitated doll left at Emir Sultan Mosque in Amsterdam Noord in January.

Passersby found the doll in front of the mosque early on Thursday, January 18th and reported it to the police. The police immediately launched an investigation, which led them to the Hoofddorp man. "The suspect is known to be driven by ideological motives", the police said. He has no previous violent crime incidents on his record, the police added.

The incident with the doll prompted interim Amsterdam mayor Jozias van Aartsen to raise concerns about minorities increasingly being targeted in Amsterdam. He met with members of the Muslim community after the doll was found. "I can imagine the fear very well. They experience this as an attack. It was seen by mothers and especially children from the school in front of the mosque. It had a huge impact on their lives, it hit them emotionally. A mosque should be a safe home", the mayor said in a city council debate on the incident.