Dutch police were investigating Saturday a suspected terror attack at Amsterdam’s Central Station, in which two people were stabbed before the knifeman was shot by police.
The assailant was identified as a 19-year-old Afghan man with a German residency permit.
“We are seriously taking into account that there was a terrorist motive,” Amsterdam police spokesman Frans Zuiderhoek told AFP.
Earlier, witnesses described scenes of panic as gunshots rang out and thousands of commuters and tourists were evacuated from the rail terminal shortly after midday.
“A man in the west side tunnel of Amsterdam Central Station stabbed two other people and directly after that he was shot by the police,” another police spokesman Rob van der Veen said, adding terrorism was not being ruled out by investigators.
“The two people are very badly injured, and they were brought to the hospital,” he said.
“We are looking at all scenarios, also the worst scenario, which is terrorism.”
One witness said he saw a young man “stumble” into his flower shop at the station with a bleeding wound to his hand.