Five hurt, two seriously, in Amsterdam stabbing
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Five people were wounded in a March 27 Amsterdam stabbing.
PHOTO: AFP
AMSTERDAM - A man injured five people, two seriously, in a stabbing attack in the heart of Amsterdam on March 27, Dutch police said, before he was overpowered by a bystander then taken into custody.
Police had earlier given a toll of four seriously wounded, but confusion appeared to have resulted from the fact the suspect himself was also hurt.
“Update: in the stabbing incident this afternoon, there were not four but five people wounded. In addition, the suspect himself is also injured,” Amsterdam police said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.
Police declined to give any indication as to a motive for the stabbings near the Dam Central Square, saying their investigation was under way.
“The suspect was overpowered with the help of a citizen. Due to an injury to his leg, he has been taken to hospital,” authorities said.
A police spokesman had earlier told reporters the suspect was receiving medical care and would be questioned at a later stage.
Authorities had sent a trauma helicopter to the square to attend to the injured.
Authorities had sent a trauma helicopter to Dam Square in Amsterdam.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
The two seriously injured are currently being treated in hospital, police said.
The police spokesman was unable to give information about the condition of the wounded.
An AFP reporter on the scene said the casualties had been evacuated from the location but there was still a heavy police presence and ambulances were also on hand.
Early images from local news agency ANP showed a person on a stretcher being loaded into the back of an ambulance.
Public broadcaster NOS showed images of police pushing someone on a stretcher while they were hooked up to an intravenous drip.
According to local media reports, Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema left a meeting in the town hall when news of the attack broke.
The police urged anyone with images of the incident to upload them as evidence. They also called on people to avoid the area and let them carry out their investigation.
Local media outlet Het Parool cited a witness, Mr Marco Schoenmaeckers, as saying that he saw one of the victims.
“I saw a knife of at least 10cm sticking out of the girl’s back, between her shoulders,” Het Parool quoted Mr Schoenmaeckers as saying. AFP
