Two killed, one hurt in Almelo stabbing; Police shoot at crossbow-wielding suspect

Two people were killed and another was hurt in a stabbing incident in Almelo on Friday morning. One suspect was arrested and was wounded, police said.

The police fired shots while attempting to arrest someone at the scene, though it was not immediately clear if he was a suspect in the fatal stabbings. Local media reported that a man was shooting a crossbow from a balcony and that a body was found inside the home.

Initially officers said on Twitter that the situation was under control, but it was later escalated itto a GRIP 3 emergency response. The incident happened on M.th. Steynstraat, a side street of Schoolstraat. Bystanders told Tubantia that they heard multiple shots. According to the newspaper, at least six ambulances and the same number of police vehicles were deployed to the scene. A police tactical team was also spotted.

At around 10:00 a.m., the Overijssel police confirmed that they were on M.th. Steynstraat in connection with a stabbing incident and that officers fired shots. "The situation there is not safe at the moment. So do not come to the location," the police said.

Some 15 minutes later, the situation was escalated to a GRIP 1. "The tactical team arrested one person and the situation is under control," the police tweeted. At around 10:45 a.m., the situation was escalated to GRIP 3.

The situation by 12:45 p.m. had calmed down significantly since the morning. The investigation into the case is ongoing, police said.

A GRIP 3 response means that there is a threat to the well-being of a population, typically within a single municipality, according to NCTV, the government’s counter-terrorism and security office. After an incident commander is established at the scene, and another incident leader provides support from a remote location, the procedure calls for the local mayor to work with their municipal team to coordinate an administrative response to adequately handle the aftermath of the situation. The Minister of the Interior and the provincial commissioner who reports to the king are also kept up to date about the incident.

GRIP is an acronym for Gecoördineerde Regionale Incidentbestrijdings Procedure, which translates to Coordinated Regional Incident Response Procedure. It has six levels of severity, with the fifth being a crisis that involves multiple regions, and the sixth being a national disaster.