One killed in stabbing attack in Rotterdam – police

One person has been killed and another wounded in a stabbing attack in the Dutch city of Rotterdam on Thursday evening, police said. The suspect has been detained.

The attack occurred near the iconic Erasmus Bridge in the central part of the city. Police said bystanders confronted and overpowered the assailant.

Police spokesman Wessel Stolle told reporters that the detained suspect was injured and was taken to the hospital.

Stolle added that investigators have not yet determined a motive and were looking “into all possible scenarios.”

According to De Telegraaf, the suspect was armed with two large knives and was stabbing people at random. Multiple witnesses interviewed by Dutch media said the assailant was shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’. 

The man “clearly intended to claim many victims,” a witness told De Telegraaf.

Kickboxing trainer Reniel Renato David Litecia told reporters that he hit the attacker with two sticks and managed to take away his knives. Other people reportedly tried to stop the suspect by throwing furniture at him.

Investigators and ambulance crews are working at the crime scene.

The Dutch government warned in June about the increased threat of terrorist attacks.

“Jihadism remains the main terrorist threat against the Netherlands, with followers fueled by propaganda with images of the war in Gaza and Quran violations,” the authorities said in their notice, referring to an attempt to publicly burn a copy of the Muslim holy book in the city of Arnhem in January.