Dutch police are currently on the hunt for a man they consider to be very dangerous. Last Saturday, a 21-year-old woman was stabbed in the back whilst cycling.
Thankfully, the victim was not critically injured. However, police have released an appeal to the public in which they say “this man must be taken off the street as soon as possible,” RTL Nieuws reports.
When and where?
The crime took place at 11:45 PM as the woman was cycling through Vlaardingen to meet her boyfriend at a café in the city centre.
As seen in CCTV footage released by OpsporingVerzocht, the suspect first cycled past the woman. However, he then turned around and began following the victim before eventually overtaking her — stabbing her in the back whilst doing so.
Afgelopen zaterdag werd in #Vlaardingen een 21-jarige vrouw in haar rug gestoken. Herken jij de man op de beelden? #OpsporingVerzocht pic.twitter.com/DU20BupQqE
— Opsporing Verzocht (@opsporing_tv) April 19, 2022
At first, the victim thought that the suspect had hit her hard but then quickly realised something was wrong. As the woman dismounted her bike, bystanders spotted a knife sticking out of her back.
According to police, the woman had a lucky escape as none of her vital organs appear to be injured.
A call for witnesses
Lucky or not, the police are calling the crime a “very serious incident” and have appealed for anyone who may have seen anything to come forward. The attack took place at the Werf van Pronk intersection in Vlaardingen.
The hunt continues for the perpetrator. He is described as being approximately 1.70 metres and wearing black clothing.
As for a motive, worryingly, it appears there was none. Anyone who may have any information is encouraged to contact the police “urgently.”
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Feel puzzled about the tone of the article at some places 😅 Like “Lucky or not, the police are calling the crime a “very serious incident”” – who is lucky or not? or “Thankfully, the victim was not critically injured. However…” – makes me feel like if usually someone is not critically injured by stabbing, it is not considered a crime except this case.
My apologies if I misinterpret something, but that’s how it made me feel.