Afghan teen to appear in court for Amsterdam station attack

THE HAGUE: A 19-year-old Afghan man who was shot and wounded by Dutch police after allegedly attacking bystanders at Amsterdam’s Central Station was briefly appear in court yesterday, police said.

The suspect, identified by authorities as ‘Jawed S.’, “will appear before a judge and until then no further details will be released,” the Amsterdam police said in a statement.

Two American citizens – both believed to be male – were seriously injured when a knife-wielding man attacked bystanders around noon on Friday at the busy station next to the Dutch capital’s historic city centre.

Police quickly reacted and shot the man in the lower body. He and the two injured bystanders were taken to hospital. The US State Department condemned what it called an ‘unprovoked, horrifying attack’ and offered full support to Dutch authorities both in their investigation and ‘in our common fight against terrorism in all forms’. Both of the wounded Americans were in a satisfactory condition, officials said. There was no update on the victims’ condition, which police described as ‘satisfactory’.

“Following an initial statement by the suspect it has emerged that the man had a terrorist motive,” Amsterdam City Hall announced after police questioned the suspect.

Jawed S has a German residency permit and German police on Saturday raided his apartment. The police did not release details about its exact location. The suspect will make a brief first appearance behind closed doors and according to Dutch criminal legal procedures will not be asked to plead.

“It is likely that the judge will remand him in custody for two more weeks, in order for detectives to continue their investigation,” a Dutch prosecution service official told AFP. This process could take up to three months, the official added.