Five people – including an elderly woman and several foreign nationals – have been seriously wounded in a knife attack near Amsterdam’s Dam Square.
Witnesses described the fear and chaos in the heart of the city’s tourist district during the stabbing spree, which also left the suspected attacker injured.
A man was arrested and taken to hospital after sustaining a leg injury while bystanders helped detain him.
Here’s everything we know about the stabbing attack in Amsterdam:
Where did the attack happen?
According to local media and witnesses, the stabbings happened in multiple locations near Amsterdam’s Dam Square at around 3:30pm on Thursday.
Dam Square is an area popular with tourists visiting the Dutch capital. It is in the historic centre of the city and includes landmarks such as the Royal Palace.
Dutch newspaper Het Parool reported that two people were first stabbed on Sint Nicolaasstraat, a side street off the city’s busy shopping street, Nieuwendijk.
The suspect is said to have then walked towards the road of Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal, where he is said to have stabbed another on the corner of the two streets.
Another victim was also reportedly stabbed closer to the square on Gravenstraat, before the suspect was arrested on Nieuwendijk.
Dam Square and the surrounding streets were cordoned off following the attack to allow the police to investigate and a helicopter to land.
Who was injured?
Five people were stabbed and taken to hospital.
The suspect was also injured and taken to hospital after he was overpowered by bystanders.
The victims were identified as a 67-year-old woman and a 69-year old man from the US, a 73-year-old woman from Belgium, a 26-year-old man from Poland, and a 19-year old Dutch woman from Amsterdam.
A shop worker told The Independent he saw people injured on the ground during scenes of “panic” and confusion as people fled the scene of the stabbing.
“People definitely started to panic, and some people ran away in different directions because no one really knew what was happening. It was a panicky situation,” said the staff member at nearby Flagship Bike Tours, who gave his name as Louis H.
“One lady on the street saw the attack happening, and she actually ran into our store – all panicked of course. So we closed the door quickly, locked it and went upstairs to calm her down, calm ourselves down, have a drink and see what was happening.
“Then we saw some people were laying on the ground and luckily police were there almost right that second.”
Who has been arrested?
Dutch police said a male suspect had been arrested after the attack.
The suspect was tackled to the ground outside the Febo fast food restaurant by members of the public after fleeing from the scene, an employee told The Independent.
“I was trying to get to work and everything was closed down and locked off. The guy was lying there right in front of my work,” the employee, who declined to be named, said.
“Apparently some guy kicked him and broke his ankle. He got kicked down [by some bystanders] because he tried to run away … I think somebody kicked him in the face as well. It sounds like it was well deserved.”
Authorities said in a statement that no motive had been established for the attack, but that police were considering a scenario where the man targeted victims at random.
“The police investigation is in full swing and has full priority at the moment. We hope to soon get more clarity about the background of this horrible stabbing,” Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema said in a statement.
“Our hearts go out to the victims, their families and loved ones.”
