Second suspect arrested for fatal Leiden stabbing at church center
Police arrested a second person in connection with a fatal stabbing at a church center in Leiden. Three people were stabbed at Diaconaal Centrum De Bakkerij on Oude Rijn just before 9:30 a.m. on Friday, one of whom died at the scene from their injuries.
A 38-year-old Leiden man was taken into custody on Monday "after an extensive investigation," police said in a statement. He was expected to be interrogated later in the day. A 39-year-old from Leiden was also arrested about six hours after the incident. That person was remanded into custody by a magistrate on Monday.
Police did not say which was believed to have carried out the attack. Both suspects were being kept in restricted custody, and were only allowed to maintain contact with their legal representation.
De Bakkerij said the person who carried out the stabbing was believed to be a client of a different organization at the building. The three victims include an employee and a volunteer from De Bakkerij, and an employee for refugee aid association VluchtelingenWerk. The organization is one of several that rents out space from De Bakkerij, which also provides assistance to refugees, homeless people, and others down on their luck.
Police have not yet disclosed a suspicion for the motive behind the stabbing. The person killed in the incident was 66 years of age when he died. The other two were hospitalized, but their injuries are not currently considered to be life threatening, police said on Monday.
The perpetrator fled from the scene after the stabbing, triggering a manhunt. "The investigation led to the arrest of a 39-year-old man from Leiden at around 3 p.m. the same day," police stated. "The progress of the investigation led to the arrest of a 38-year-old man from Leiden on Monday."
A crowdfunding campaign set up for De Bakkerij raised over 13,000 euros as of Monday evening. About a thousand people attended a commemoration in honor of the victims on Sunday.
