Multiple individuals sustain injuries, among them a pair of Americans, in a reportedly severe stabbing incident in Amsterdam, according to the local police.
Five individuals, including two Americans, sustained injuries in a severe stabbing incident in Amsterdam's city center on Thursday, as confirmed by authorities.
The prime suspect is currently in police custody, with investigators yet to uncover the motive behind the attack, which they are presently considering as potentially random.
The incident came to light shortly before 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, following the receipt of numerous reports regarding a stabbing by emergency services.
The victims were found at various locations close to Amsterdam's central Dam Square, according to the police.
Police are deliberating the possibility that the assailant might have randomly targeted individuals, but a definitive motive remains elusive.
The two American victims were identified as a 67-year-old woman and a 69-year-old man, police stated. Besides them, a 19-year-old woman from Amsterdam, a 26-year-old man from Poland, and a 73-year-old woman from Belgium were also injured in the attack. The police have not disclosed any details on their conditions.
The suspect was apprehended near Dam Square with assistance from passersby shortly after the incident. Subsequently, the suspect was transported to a hospital due to a leg injury, and police are currently investigating his identity.
"Our primary concern is to swiftly unravel the circumstances surrounding this tragic incident," Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema said in a statement. "We are profoundly distressed by this vicious stabbing and extend our sympathies to the victims, their families, and loved ones."
There seems to be no immediate connection between the Amsterdam incident and a recent knife attack in Austria that resulted in a 14-year-old's death and injured four others.
In an unrelated event, authorities in Hamburg, Germany, are investigating a stabbing attack at a train station where at least 18 people were injured. The alleged attacker, a 39-year-old woman, is believed to be suffering from a psychological illness and did not appear to have a political motive for the attack, according to reports.
The incident, Chairman of the Amsterdam police confirmed, has sparked international interest as it involved victims from various countries – the Netherlands, the United States, Belgium, and Poland. As the motive behind the attack remains unclear, this event is also trending in general news and crime-and-justice sections.
Given the ongoing investigation and the assailant's hospitalization due to a leg injury, the authorities are yet to disclose the identity of the suspect, which adds speculation to the nature of the attack and the potential motive.
