5 hurt, 2 seriously in Amsterdam stabbing
A bystander overpowered the suspected attacker, who is in custody and is being treated for a leg injury
A man injured five people, two seriously, in a stabbing attack in the heart of Amsterdam on Thursday, 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 social media.
Police declined to give any indication as to a motive for the stabbings near the Dam Central Square, saying their investigation was under way. They said they were “considering the possibility that the suspect may have randomly targeted victims, but the exact motive remains unknown”.
“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. 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.
