At least, five people are wounded in a mass stabbing in Amsterdam.
The knifing took place on Sint Nicolaasstraat, near the city’s iconic Dam Square, at around 3.30pm local time (2.30pm UK time). A witness told a reporter for De Telegraaf they ‘suddenly [heard] an icy scream’, after which panic broke out.
Local media has reported that a girl and an elderly woman were stabbed in the attack, but this has not been confirmed by police. One employee of a nearby shop told local media: ‘It was very frightening.
‘Customers saw an elderly woman being stabbed in the back. She was with her husband. I only saw it when the woman was lying on the ground. It was very grim.’
Photos taken at the scene showed one person being loaded into an ambulance.
Live footage of the historic square showed a mass crowd gathering around a cordoned off area in front of the Royal Palace, with a trauma helicopter, ambulances and police vans in attendance. The square has since had its cordon lifted.
Police have said that the suspect, described by Dutch newspapers as a man in a hood, has been arrested. They added: ‘A motive is still unclear, but is part of our investigation.’
