Amsterdam Afghans with a German residence permit attack two people
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Policemen direct their weapons at the 19-year-old who reportedly stabbed two people at Amsterdam Central Station
Source: dpa-infocom GmbH
A 19-year-old Afghan wounded two people with a knife at Amsterdam Central Station.
- The man is shot by the police, panic breaks out among passersby.
- He has issued a residence permit in Germany.
NAfter the knife attack on Amsterdam Central, where two people were badly injured on Friday, a lane led to Germany. The accused suspect was a 19-year-old Afghan with a German residence permit, the Dutch police said in the evening. It does not exclude a terrorist background.
The Dutch police have close contacts with their German counterparts, said a police spokesman in Amsterdam. A possible terrorist motive is "seriously considered". According to the police, the young man had stabbed the two people in a tunnel in the western part of the central station at about 12.10 hours before the police shot him. The two victims were "very seriously injured," a spokesman said.
Shots cause panic
The shots caused panic among the thousands of tourists and commuters who were present. According to the police, two platforms were temporarily closed and reopened after two hours. The main station is located in the north of the center of Amsterdam. Approximately 250,000 passengers use the station daily. The Dutch metropolis, with its canals with infusive center, is a popular destination.
One witness said that a young man with a bleeding wound stumbled into the station at his florist's shop. "Soon after, I heard shots and I know something bad has happened," said Richard Snelders of the ANP news agency. A moment later he saw a man lying on the floor. Spontaneously he had thought of a terrorist attack. The panic in the station was great.
"Everything went very fast," said Snelders. The police have instructed the man with the gunshot wound in English to stay "on the ground". Later the police said that the alleged perpetrator was questioned in the hospital.
In contrast to France, Belgium and Germany, there have been no knife attacks in the Netherlands so far. Thursday the Afghan Taliban called for attacks on Dutch soldiers. The occasion was the now canceled plan of right-wing populist Geert Wilders to hold a contest in the Dutch parliament for caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. Wilders and his PVV have repeatedly pleaded protest by Muslims with Islamophobic actions.
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