Five people have been injured after a stabbing near Amsterdam’s central Dam square, police have said.
Police said a suspect has been arrested but said a motive for the stabbing remains unclear.
A large cordon has been set up on both Sint Nicolaasstraat and Dam Square, local media reported.
Footage shared on social media appeared to show a helicopter landing in the square, with injured people being taken to hospital.
The stabbing is reported to have taken place shortly before 3:30pm local time, with De Telegraaf newspaper reporting that at least fourteen police cars and an officer on a motorcycle had swarmed the scene within 15 minutes.
The outlet cited a police spokesperson as saying that officers had received reports of a robbery, and that it was not yet clear whether there remained a risk to the public following the suspect’s arrest. “We are fully present there,” a spokesperson said.
Detectives said they would be seeking to establish a motive as part of their investigation, and have urged people with any footage of the incident to share it with police.
Dam Square is an area popular with tourists visiting the Dutch capital. It is in the historic centre of the city and includes landmarks such as the Royal Palace.
Amsterdam’s mayor Femke Halsema is reported to have been in a council meeting during the stabbing and to have withdrawn from a debate due to the incident.
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