Five people were wounded in a stabbing spree in Amsterdam on Thursday. The attacker was quickly apprehended, but what is known about his identity and motive?
The key suspect was identified in local media as 30-year-old Ukrainian citizen Roman D.,’ from the Russian-occupied Donetsk region. Little is yet known about his motive, although initial investigations suggest victims were chosen at random and he carried multiple knives to be used during the attack.
The man was in possession of false identity papers and refused to share his identity with police, according to multiple reports.
Roman D. was thwarted by a British tourist, who restrained him and ended the stabbing spree. He is currently being held in the hospital section of a prison in Scheveningen, according to De Telegraaf, which reported he sustained leg injuries.
The tourist has elected to remain anonymous, although footage of his actions has spread quickly online.
Background on the attack
“Apparently, some guy kicked him and broke his ankle. He got kicked down [by some bystanders] because he tried to run away... I think somebody kicked him in the face as well. It sounds like it was well deserved,” a witness told the Independent.
Before carrying out the stabbing spree, Roman D. was staying at the Delta Hotel on the Damrak, which is only a few hundred meters from where the stabbings were carried out, sources told Het Parool.