Dutch police said a man was overpowered by a witness and arrested after stabbing five people, two critically, in central Amsterdam on Thursday.
Police initially reported four critically wounded, but the suspect’s injuries caused confusion.
The stabbing attack this afternoon injured five persons. The suspect is also hurt, Amsterdam police reported on X, formerly Twitter.
Police declined to comment on the Dam Central Square stabbings’ motive, saying their investigation was ongoing.
They were “considering the possibility that the suspect may have randomly targeted victims, but the exact motive remains unknown”.
Citizen helped overcome the suspect. Authorities say he was hospitalized with a leg injury.
A police official told reporters the suspect was receiving medical care and would be questioned later.
Authorities rushed a trauma chopper to the square to treat the injured. The two critically injured are in the hospital, authorities said.
The wounded’s condition was unknown by the police spokeswoman.
Authorities identified the victims as a 67-year-old American lady, a 69-year-old American man, a 26-year-old Polish man, a 73-year-old Belgian woman, and a 19-year-old Amsterdam woman.
The injured were removed, but police and ambulances remained on the site, according to an AFP reporter.
Image request from police
Local news outlet ANP initially showed a stretcher-bound person being loaded into an ambulance.
NOS showed police pushing a stretcher-bound IV drip user.
Local media said that Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema left a town hall meeting after the attack.
The backstory of this awful stabbing crime should be revealed soon. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and loved ones, Halsema said.
The police asked witnesses to contribute photos as evidence. They asked everyone to stay away and let them investigate.
Marco Schoenmaeckers, a witness, told Het Parool he spotted a victim.
“I saw a knife of at least 10 centimetres (nearly four inches) sticking out of the girl’s back, between her shoulders,” Het Parool cited Schoenmaeckers as saying.
