Intellectually disabled man abused for hours, robbed in Amsterdam city park
Two young men threatened, assaulted, robbed, and held a 24-year-old man with an intellectual disability captive for hours in an Amsterdam city park during the night of Monday to Tuesday, September 22 to 23. The police are looking for witnesses and help in identifying the perpetrators.
The suspects approached the victim in the park near Pieter Calandlaan in Amsterdam at around 11:00 p.m. on Monday. They threatened him with knives and took his ID, phone, and PIN. They forced him to increase the withdrawal and transfer limits on his bank account and physically assaulted him, causing him multiple injuries, the police said.
The young suspects then forced the victim to lie down between rocks near the skate park and held him captive there until dawn.
At some point during the ordeal, the victim heard a man walk by, approach the suspects, and ask what they were doing. The young men responded calmly, and the man walked off. The police are looking for this witness in particular.
The suspects are light-skinned teenage boys around 16 or 17 years old and around 1.8 meters tall. One had curly hair, a thick mustache, and a slim build, and was wearing black shoes and a black hoodie. The other was wearing a black jacket with multiple zippers and white Nike shoes. The victim said that the suspects spoke Arabic with one another.
The police are looking for any witnesses or anyone who can help identify the perpetrators.
Following various cases of violence against women in the Netherlands in recent weeks, Amsterdam broadcaster AT5 surveyed locals on areas they avoid due to feeling unsafe. City parks were mentioned most often.
