Amsterdam knife attacker who injured 2 Americans suspected of having ‘terrorist motive,’ prosecutors say

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Multiple people, including 2 Americans, were stabbed by a knife-wielding man in Amsterdam

2 Americans and 3 others were stabbed by a knife-wielding man in a busy shopping district on March 27, 2024. (Credit: AP)

A man who stabbed five people in Amsterdam last week, including two Americans, likely had a “terrorist motive,” Dutch prosecutors announced Tuesday. 

The suspect, identified by police as a 30-year-old Ukrainian from the Donetsk region, according to Reuters, was taken into custody Thursday after a bystander reportedly overpowered him. 

“The man is suspected of five counts of attempted murder or manslaughter with a terrorist motive,” the news agency quoted prosecutors as saying Tuesday. 

Authorities identified the victims of the shopping district stabbing spree as a 69-year-old man and 67-year-old woman from the U.S.; a 73-year-old woman from Belgium; a 26-year-old man from Poland; and a 19-year-old woman from Amsterdam. 

KNIFE-WIELDING MAN INJURES MULTIPLE PEOPLE IN AMSTERDAM, INCLUDING 2 AMERICANS 

Police officers are seen in Dam Square in Amsterdam on March 27 after a stabbing injured five people in a busy commercial shopping street next to Dam Square. (Gene Medi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

“The police investigation is in full swing and has full priority at the moment. We hope to soon get more clarity about the background of this horrible stabbing,” Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema said last week. “Our hearts go out to the victims, their families and loved ones.” 

Police said the suspect checked into a hotel in Amsterdam the day before the attack, Reuters reported. 

2 PEOPLE KILLED IN KNIFE ATTACK IN GERMANY 

Police officers cordon off an area after a stabbing near Dam Square in central Amsterdam on Thursday, March 27. (AP/Peter Delong)

The Polish victim has been released from a local hospital. As of Tuesday, the other victims remain in medical care and are in stable condition, Reuters added. 

A State Department spokesperson confirmed to Fox News that two U.S. citizens were injured during the incident. 

First responders assist one of the victims of the stabbing in Amsterdam on March 27. (ANP/Inter Visual Studio/AFP via Getty Images)

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“The U.S. Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas,” the spokesperson said. “We are closely following reports of a stabbing in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. We extend our sympathies to the victims and to the families of those affected. We can confirm that two U.S. citizens were injured.” 

Fox News’ Greg Wehner, Nick Kalman and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.