Two more Rotterdam teens arrested for assaulting trans person in Amsterdam home
The police arrested another two teenagers from Rotterdam for assaulting and threatening to strangle a 28-year-old transgender person in their home in Amsterdam last year. The attack happened during what was supposed to be a date. The police believe the victim was targeted specifically because they are trans.
The new suspects, aged 17 and 19 from Rotterdam, were arrested on Tuesday. A day earlier, the police had already arrested an 18-year-old from Rotterdam. All three young men are in custody.
The victim had arranged what was believed to be a date with a man last September at the victim's Amsterdam-Zuid home. As the two were sitting on the couch together, the doorbell rang. The victim opened the door, and two unknown men pushed the victim hard and barged inside.
The man who was already in the house pulled a knife and held it to the victim’s throat. He dragged the victim through the hallway, and the three men proceeded to punch and kick the victim, while threatening to strangle the individual. The assailants left a few minutes later, leaving the victim gasping for air.
“We strongly suspect that the fact that the victim is a trans person was the reason for this incident,” the police said, calling this discrimination unacceptable. “In the Netherlands, you are allowed to be who you are and love who you want.”
The suspects are in custody for further investigation.
