Dutch police continue hunt for attacker who stabbed three
Police have yet to establish a motive for attack in the heart of The Hague shopping district during Black Friday sales
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Dutch police kept up a huge manhunt on Saturday for an assailant who stabbed three youths in The Hague’s main shopping area.
Officials said they were keeping an open mind about the motive for the attack, which came as shoppers hunted bargains on Black Friday.
The incident caused panic in The Hague as it happened just hours after two people were stabbed to death in London allegedly by an ex-prisoner convicted of terrorism offences.
The male attacker ran off after the stabbings at a department store in the city centre’s Grote Marktstraat, The Hague’s main shopping area.
“We haven’t arrested a suspect yet. So we are currently very busy trying the find the suspect,” police spokeswoman Marije Kuiper told AFP.
“It’s a little too early to speculate about that kind of thing,” she said when asked about a possible terrorist motive, adding that investigators were still looking at several possible scenarios.
Police forensics officers were seen examining a knife found at the scene overnight.
The victims were a 13-year-old boy from The Hague, a girl of 15 from Alphen aan den Rijn and a 15-year-old girl from Leiderdorp, the ANP news agency said, quoting police. They did not know each other, police said.
They were all allowed to go home from hospital overnight.
Acting mayor Boudewijn Revis said he was horrified by the incident.
The stabbing happened in the heart of The Hague shopping district where supermarket chains and luxury shops were all lit up with early Christmas decorations. Adding to the festive spirit was the lure of Black Friday, when retailers offers consumers special discounts at a time when many are seeking family presents.
Police sealed off a wide perimeter behind which onlookers were kept at bay. There was no hint of panic among the public soon after the stabbing.
The Netherlands had already been shocked by a similar stabbing in Amsterdam a year ago when two Americans were injured in a knife attack that prosecutors say had a “terrorist motive.”
The Times of Israel Community.