Witnesses hear “Allahu Akbar” call: One dead in knife attack in Rotterdam

Witnesses hear “Allahu Akbar” call
One dead in knife attack in Rotterdam

19.09.2024, 23:56

Listen to article

In the Dutch port city of Rotterdam, a man randomly stabs passers-by, killing one person and injuring another. A witness disarms and overpowers the suspected Islamist. Shortly before, the government in The Hague announced a fundamental tightening of its asylum rules.

According to police, a man attacked passers-by with a knife in Rotterdam. One person was killed and another was seriously injured, police in the Dutch port city reported on X. The suspected perpetrator has been arrested. Nothing has been disclosed about the man's motives.

Witnesses reportedly told police that the man shouted “Allahu Akbar” (God is great) and attacked people indiscriminately. Islamist extremists use the phrase like a battle cry, hijacking the central religious formula of Islam that has been used by Muslims around the world for centuries.

The incident occurred late in the evening near the Erasmus Bridge in the city center. According to witnesses, a 32-year-old fitness trainer overpowered and disarmed the man, media reported. He told the TV station NOS that the attacker had two long knives with him. “I was completely surprised to see that there had been a stabbing behind the restaurant. First I checked to see if my customer was safe. Then I ran towards the perpetrator with a stick that I use for sports and held him “with two chairs in check. Then I had him laughing, but it was scary,” the 32-year-old told the station.

The Hague tightened migration policy

Just a few days ago, the government in The Hague announced a significant tightening of asylum policy. “We can no longer tolerate the large influx of migrants into our country,” said Prime Minister Dick Schoof. He spoke of an “asylum crisis.” His government will therefore soon take “emergency measures” to “strengthen migration and asylum policy.” The four-party coalition will also tighten the rules for the family reunification of asylum seekers.

Like Denmark and Hungary, the Netherlands no longer wants to comply with EU asylum rules in the future. Asylum and Migration Minister Marjolein Faber announced on Wednesday on X that she had informed the EU Commission that her government no longer wanted to be bound by EU regulations on immigration issues. A Commission spokeswoman explained in Brussels that EU migration laws were still binding for the Netherlands and that no immediate changes were to be expected.