A Syrian-Palestinian immigrant previously convicted of a knife attack has been arrested again—this time for stabbing a Jewish man in the neck. The suspect, Malek F., is being charged with attempted murder with a terrorist motive.
The attack took place inside a hospital in Groningen, where the suspect was being held for compulsory psychiatric treatment after his earlier conviction.
“We suspect him of attempted murder with a terrorist intent. The reason we have only arrested him now is because of the investigation and the condition of the suspect,” a local police spokesperson said.
Authorities are facing backlash over how the case has been handled. Despite a violent 2018 stabbing spree—where Malek attacked three random people in the street and nearly severed one victim’s neck—he was sentenced only to psychiatric care, not prison. During that earlier attack, he shouted “Allahu Akbar” and later told police he was trying to “slaughter infidels in the street.
The court at the time ruled that there was no proof of terrorist motivation and allowed him unsupervised leave while in treatment. He was due to be released later this year to live independently. That plan has now been halted following the latest stabbing.
The case has fueled growing concern in the Netherlands over migrant-related crime and the failure of authorities to properly deal with dangerous individuals. Right-wing politician Geert Wilders responded on social media platform X, saying: “Islam does not belong in the Netherlands. Neither do radical Muslims.”
