The Latest: Terror studied as possible motive for stabbings

  • Image 1 of 2

  • Image 2 of 2

AMSTERDAM –  The Latest on stabbings at Amsterdam’s main train station (all times local):

10 p.m.

Amsterdam city officials say a man who was shot by police after two people were stabbed at the main railway station is a 19-year-old Afghan citizen and investigators are including an extremist attack as a possible motive.

The city’s local government said in a statement issued late Friday that the suspect is being questioned at the hospital where he is being treated under guard.

The people stabbed at Central Station around noon also were transported to a hospital. Police didn’t release details about any of the three’s conditions.

The city statement says the suspect had a German residence permit and Amsterdam police are in contact with authorities in Germany.

___

4:55 p.m.

An Amsterdam police spokesman says two people were stabbed at the city’s busy Central Station when a man walked into a group of people.

Police spokesman Rob van der Veen said the violence happened shortly after noon.

He says: "Something happened, we don’t know yet what, but during that two people were stabbed and one person with a knife in his hand walked away and he was shot by police," Van der Veen said.

All three people were taken to a hospital. Police didn’t release details about their conditions.

Van der Veen said forensics experts are combing the scene hours after the attack and detectives are investigating the man’s motive.

___

2:25 p.m.

Police in Amsterdam say "all possible scenarios are being kept open" as they investigate a stabbing attack at the city’s busy central railway station that injured two people.

Amsterdam police said in a series of tweets that a suspect was shot by officers. The suspect and the people stabbed were taken to a hospital.

Police said two train platforms were closed, but the station wasn’t evacuated. Trams to and from the square in front of the station were stopped as police and emergency services converged on the area.

Red and white police tape kept members of the public away from the scene.

Central Station is a busy entry and exit point for visitors to the Dutch capital, with regular trains linking it to the city’s Schiphol Airport. Friday is one of the busiest days of the week, with many tourists arriving for the weekend.

___

1:15 p.m.

Police in the Dutch capital shot and wounded a suspect Friday following a stabbing at Amsterdam’s busy central railway station.

Amsterdam police said in a series of tweets that two people were injured in the stabbing and the suspect was then shot by officers. All three people were taken to a hospital.

Police said that two platforms were closed to train traffic, but the station wasn’t evacuated.

The motive for the stabbing wasn’t immediately clear. Further details weren’t available.

Central Station is a busy entry and exit point for visitors to the Dutch capital, with regular trains linking it to the city’s Schiphol Airport. Friday is one of the busiest days of the week, with many tourists arriving for the weekend.

1:00 p.m.

Police in the Dutch capital say they have shot and wounded a suspect following a stabbing at Amsterdam’s busy central railway station.

Police tweeted Friday that two people were injured in the stabbing. A tunnel under the station’s tracks was closed following the incident.

The motive for the stabbing wasn’t immediately clear. Further details weren’t immediately available.

Police in the Dutch capital shot and wounded a suspect Friday after he stabbed two people at Amsterdam’s busy central railway station.

Hours after the incident, police said they were still investigating a possible motive for the attack and weren’t excluding any possible scenarios.

Police spokesman Rob van der Veen said the violence happened shortly after noon (1000 GMT; 6 a.m. EDT) at the busy Central Station in downtown Amsterdam when a man walked into a group of people.

"Something happened, we don’t know yet what, but during that two people were stabbed and one person with a knife in his hand walked away and he was shot by police," Van der Veen said.

All three people were taken to a hospital. Police didn’t release details about their conditions.

Van der Veen said forensics experts were still combing the scene hours after the attack and detectives were investigating the man’s motive.

Two platforms were temporarily closed to train traffic, but the station wasn’t evacuated. Trams to and from the square in front of the station were stopped as police and emergency services converged on the area. Red and white police tape kept members of the public away from the scene.

Central Station is a busy entry and exit point for visitors to the Dutch capital, with regular trains linking it to the city’s Schiphol Airport. Friday is one of the busiest days of the week, with many tourists arriving for the weekend.

____

Associated Press writer Mike Corder in The Hague contributed to this report.

Source: Read Full Article