Five people have been injured following a stabbing near the central Dam Square in Amsterdam, police have said. The injured include two Americans, a Polish man, a Belgian woman, and a Dutch woman. The youngest is 19, and the oldest is 73, according to police.
The male suspect, who has been arrested, was overpowered with the help of bystanders and taken to hospital with a leg injury. Police say the motive behind the attack is “under investigation” but are considering the possibility that the suspect may have chosen people at random.
Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema said a police investigation was “in full swing” and that authorities hoped to uncover more details of what happened soon. “Our hearts go out to the victims, their families, and loved ones,” she said.
The wounded include a 67-year-old woman and a 69-year-old man, both from the US; a 26-year-old man from Poland; a 73-year-old woman from Belgium; and a 19-year-old woman from Amsterdam.
Police said that just before 15:30 local time (14:30 GMT), emergency services received several reports of a stabbing incident. Officers quickly arrived at the scene and found five injured people at various locations in and around Sint Nicolaasstraat in the city centre, police said.