THE HAGUE, July 16 (Xinhua) -- A man who is suspected of stabbing three people here in May is now believed to have attempted the murder with terrorist intent, the court announced here on Monday.
On May 5 at the Johanna Westerdijk square in The Hague, a man stabbed three people with a knife and was arrested after being shot in the leg by police. At the time, the police stated that the man was known to the police for confused behavior, but not for terrorism. Therefore, he was at first only suspected of threatening and attempted murder, with a possible terrorist intent under investigation.
The suspect is a 32-year-old man who fled from the war in Syria. He had previously been admitted to a psychiatric hospital in the Netherlands due to mental health problems. According to some witnesses, the suspect had shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is greater), during the incident. His lawyer has always stated that his client had no terrorist motive.
The public prosecutor later revealed that the police had received an anonymous letter in March with a warning that the man had plans to commit a terrorist attack. This letter was also shared with experts of The Hague and the General Intelligence and Security Service of the Netherlands (AIVD). But it was not found to be a reason for an arrest, nor was it a reason to mark the man as a potential terrorist.
Further investigation has now led to the suspicion of threatening attempted murder with terrorist intent. The preliminary hearing will take place on July 23 in Badhoevedorp, near Amsterdam.
