Dutch police have arrested an asylum seeker in connection with the murder of a 17-year-old girl and two other sexual assaults.
Chief prosecutor René de Beukelaer confirmed the arrest of a 22-year-old man, who was residing at a COA asylum centre in Amsterdam.
The suspect is accused of fatally stabbing the 17-year-old student, who has been identified as ‘Lisa,’ while she was cycling home in the early hours of Wednesday.
She had spent the evening with friends in central Amsterdam and was taking her usual route home on an electric bike when the attack occurred.
Her body was discovered near the Johan Cruijff Arena shortly after she had called emergency services for help.
The suspect is accused not only of murdering Lisa, but also of raping another woman just a week earlier. Police further linked him to an attempted sexual assault on August 10th, initially believed to be a robbery.
“We think that the arrested suspect was also involved in a third incident…an attempted sexual assault. We wanted to make this known as quickly as possible because every day we see and hear that people are so affected and afraid.” De Beukelaer said.
Amsterdam’s mayor, Femke Halsema, called the murder “appalling and unforgivable,” pledging stronger measures to protect women.
“What should be self-evident—the safety of women and girls—is not self-evident. This is a disgrace to our society,” she said.
The asylum seeker faces preliminary charges of murder and rape, with a court hearing scheduled for Monday.
