Dutch police have now arrested a 23-year-old man in connection with the death of Hajar, an Amsterdam woman whose body was found stuffed in a suitcase on the Amsteldijk in Amsterdam.
Hajar (29) was first reported missing on October 4 after concerned family members contacted the police. Upon reviewing all the information provided by the family, Dutch police then reclassified the investigation into her disappearance as urgent on October 5.
Sadly, her body was found just two weeks later on Friday, October 16, following a report of a suspicious suitcase in the water on the Amsteldijk.
Investigators now believe she was killed shortly after she went missing, according to an update from the Dutch police.
Suspect allegedly had a history of violence
On Tuesday morning (October 20), the control room at the North Holland police unit received reports of a “violent incident” at a property in Gemeente Koggenland.
There, officers found an injured man, who was taken to hospital for treatment, and arrested a 23-year-old suspect in connection with the crime.
Originally a Somali native, the suspect had been living in the Netherlands since 2009, and held a permanent residence permit since 2014. According to NOS, he had committed a variety of offences before, including shoplifting.
In a twist of fate, he would turn out to be the very person detectives were already looking for.
He initially introduced himself as a witness
Camera footage from the RAI, an events and convention centre in Amsterdam, showed Hajar with a man on Sunday, October 4. At the time, nobody knew who he was.
Police have now confirmed he’s the man Hajar was seen cycling with towards the Buitenveldert neighbourhood in their footage, NOS reports. The chief public prosecutor in Amsterdam added that there’s no indication the two knew each other.
Given that nothing in the footage suggested a threatening encounter, police assumed the man was nothing more than a witness. Detectives identified him and questioned him on Monday evening, the day before his arrest.
However, “further investigations revealed that he was likely involved in Hajar’s death”, and he was subsequently placed on a wanted list.
What happens now?
According to the police news release, detectives are still trying to work out exactly what happened to Hajar and where.
They state that the “public’s help is still very welcome” and request that anyone with information submit it via their online tip form.
Want to make sure DutchReview pops up on your news feed more often? Just add us as a preferred news provider, and we’ll handle the rest.