Three victims in Dam Square stabbings were close to death, prosecutor states

Three of the five victims who were stabbed near Dam Square in Amsterdam at the end of March were close to death. The couple from the U.S. and the Dutch victim would not have survived the attack without medical intervention, the prosecutor said during the second court hearing of Ukrainian suspect Roman D.

D., 30, was once again not present during the hearing. According to his attorney, he is in the prison hospital due to complications from the leg fracture he sustained during his arrest.

On Tuesday, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) quoted in the Amsterdam court from several medical reports on the five victims. Regarding the medical report of the older American couple, the prosecutor said that “it shows how close the victims came to death.”

All five victims were stabbed in the back near the lungs during the attack on March 27, around Sint Nicolaasstraat. The then 69-year-old American man was struck in his left lung. His 67-year-old wife sustained lung injuries and fractures to her ribs and shoulder from the stab wounds in her back. The Dutch victim, aged 19, was stabbed in her back, rib, and spine, and lost a large amount of blood. “She will suffer permanent damage,” the prosecutor said.

The remaining victims of the stabbing were a 26-year-old tourist from Poland and a 73-year-old Belgian woman. The OM suspects D. of five counts of attempted murder or manslaughter with a terrorist motive. So far, he has not given any explanation for his motive.

At the request of the OM, authorities in Poland and Germany spoke with a father and son who traveled with the soldier through Poland, as well as with people who stayed with him in March at a shelter for Ukrainian refugees in Berlin. Two of the suspect’s supervisors were questioned in Ukraine. They all said they were surprised by what happened in Amsterdam.

The commanders who worked with D. stated that he had been reassigned after suffering hearing damage and problems with his balance. The OM also wants to hear from former colleagues about his behavior prior to the reassignment. In addition, it is still awaiting data from a phone seized in Ukraine.

The suspect must also undergo assessments with a psychiatrist and a psychologist specialized in war trauma. He has said that he is cooperating.