Swiss citizen injured in knife attack in Rotterdam
The suspect fatally wounded a 32-year-old man from Rotterdam and slightly injured a Swiss citizen.
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Listening: Swiss citizen injured in knife attack in Rotterdam
A Swiss national was injured in a knife attack that left one person dead on Thursday evening in Rotterdam, Dutch police reported on Friday.
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Keystone-SDA
The suspect who was arrested is believed to have had a “terrorist motive”, the Dutch public prosecutor stated.
“The public prosecution currently suspects the 22-year-old man from Amersfoort of murder and attempted murder with a terrorist motive,” it said in a statement. The suspect was arrested following the attack and was hospitalised with serious injuries.
The suspect fatally wounded a 32-year-old man from Rotterdam shortly after 8pm in the Erasmus Bridge area, police confirmed. He also slightly injured a Swiss citizen, the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) later reported to the Keystone-SDA news agency. Earlier, police had stated that the injuries were serious.
He has “left the hospital”, the prosecutor also confirmed on Friday afternoon. The Swiss embassy in The Hague is in contact with him.
Random stabbings in Rotterdam
“Preliminary investigations suggest that the suspect may be motivated by ideological reasons,” it added. “The investigation is ongoing, and other motives for the attack cannot be ruled out,” it cautioned.
Witnesses reported that the young man attacked passers-by with “two large knives” near the modern Erasmus Bridge, an area popular for its cafés and bars, as well as for sports training.
The national news agency ANP cited witnesses who claimed that the young man appeared to have attacked people at random shortly after 8pm.
Translated from French by DeepL/sp
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