Three minors hurt in stabbing in The Hague, police search for suspect

Attack in Dutch city’s main shopping street during holiday shopping spree takes place hours after deadly stabbing in London

Dutch police secure a shopping street after a stabbing incident in the center of The Hague, Netherlands, November 29, 2019. (AP Photo/ Phil Nijhuis)
Dutch police secure a shopping street after a stabbing incident in the center of The Hague, Netherlands, November 29, 2019. (AP Photo/ Phil Nijhuis)

Three people were wounded in a stabbing in The Hague’s main shopping street Friday night, and police were searching for at least one suspect, authorities said.

The three people injured were minors, Dutch police said, without commenting on the severity of their injuries.

Police spokeswoman Marije Kuiper told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that it was still too early to say where a terror motive was to blame for the attack. Police were “keeping every scenario open,” Kuiper said.

Acting mayor Boudewijn Revis said he was horrified by the incident.

The area was busy at the time as shoppers looked for Black Friday holiday deals.

Kuiper said it was unclear whether any of the injuries were life-threatening.

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.

Dutch police block a shopping street after a stabbing incident in the center of The Hague, Netherlands, Friday, Nov. 29, 2019 (AP Photo/Phil Nijhuis)

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.”

“Stabbing incident with several wounded at the Grote Marktstraat in The Hague. Emergency services are on site,” the city’s police said on Twitter.

The Hague serves as the seat of the Dutch government though it is not the nation’s capital.

The attack came mere hours after a stabbing attack in London killed two people and wounded several others, in what British officials said was a terror attack. A man wearing a fake explosive vest stabbed several people before he was tackled by members of the public and then fatally shot by officers on London Bridge, authorities said.

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