Nieuwegein neighborhood in shock after fatal stabbing of 11-year-old girl
Residents of Nieuwegein have reacted with grief after an 11-year-old girl was fatally stabbed in their neighborhood. Flowers and candles have been placed at the site of the attack.
“It’s terrible. She was only 11 years old. It’s just awful,” a neighbour told NOS. Many locals expressed shock that such a violent crime had taken place in their area.
“It’s always peaceful here, and then this happened,” said a child from the neighborhood. “I played with her a lot, but I wasn’t outside that day because I was at my mother’s house.”
The girl was on her way to visit a friend when a man suddenly attacked her with a knife. A 29-year-old man was arrested shortly after the incident in a nearby garden. Police have not disclosed further details about the suspect or his motive. Police spokesperson Wim Hoonhout said on the radio program Met het Oog op Morgen that it was “very likely” the suspect and victim “did not know each other at all.”
Several neighbors stated they had previously reported the suspect’s erratic behavior. “People had already warned about him before,” Van Zwieten said. “Even on Thursday evening and Friday morning, people called the authorities because he was outside shouting again.”
“The impact here is huge,” said Pieter van Zwieten, a resident who has lived in the neighborhood for 50 years. “It’s usually a very quiet area with long-time residents. There are always children playing outside, and then suddenly this happens.”
Van Zwieten witnessed the immediate aftermath. “I was in the garden and heard a lot of noise. It went on for a while, so I went to look. I saw the child lying there,” he said.
The incident took place directly under a ceramic sculpture of children playing. Van Zwieten placed a small mourning band on one of the figures. “The child’s father was inconsolable. He was screaming and crying,” he said.
Photos from the scene show a knife found on the roof of a shed near Anemoonstraat. Police have not yet confirmed whether it is connected to the attack.
The suspect is being held under full restrictions, meaning he is only allowed contact with his attorney.
