The arrest of a suspect who would have attacked three women in a short time and close to the city, one of whom died, Mayor Femke Halsema of Amsterdam seized Friday evening to have a passionate argument about violence against women. During a press conference where the Amsterdam triangle of mayor, police chief and chief public prosecutor gave a brief explanation of the crimes and the investigation into it, Halsema said that the municipal administration and the police will “do everything to fight women and violence against women”. Halsema could not yet say what measures she is thinking. “There are no blueprints ready.”
Halsema said that last week “as mayor, as a woman and as a mother the cold struck me around the heart.” In a short time, several women with very serious violence have been attacked – as it looks now by one and the same perpetrator. “The anger, the powerlessness. This is the greatest fear of every woman and every parent,” said Halsema about the death of 17-year-old Lisa. “What should be obvious, the safety of girls and women, is not obvious,” Halsema continued. “This is a scandal on our society. Rightly so thousands of women demand the night.”
Knife stitch
Lisa, whose surname is not released at the explicit request of the family, was killed by knife stabbing in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday along a cycle path in Duivendrecht. She had just called emergency number 112 in advance to report that she had been attacked.
Due to the place of that crime, by the time at which it was committed and the serious violence that was used for this, the police made a connection with two previous cases. Last Friday, when a woman past the Weespertrekvaart, was not very far from the place where Lisa was killed, fell victim to serious sexual violence. The woman was “beaten several times,” said police chief Peter Holla at the press conference. And on Wednesday a woman reported a man in the same neighborhood on 10 August. However, he was disturbed before he could abuse her more seriously. Her declaration, according to Holla, has contributed to the detection of the suspect. The suspect is a 22-year-old man who stayed as an asylum seeker in a reception of the COA. He was arrested on Thursday evening and is not allowed to contact anyone outside of his lawyer. On Monday he will be brought before the examining magistrate on suspicion of murder and rape.
Reactions expected
The fact that the man is an asylum seeker can lead to unrest in the city and in society, said Holla. “We understand that there will be reactions.” That is why the triangle did not want to say in which of the COA locations in Amsterdam the man was arrested. Also, no further announcements were made about his identity. “Also because we still have to check whether we have the correct identity of this man,” said Holla.
Mayor Halsema did not want to anticipate possible tensions around asylum seekers’ centers. “For the time being, the relief prevails that a suspect has been arrested,” said the mayor. “What happens next, we will address that at that time.”
After the press conference, the Lisa family showed itself in a statement with the arrest “and that there is a prospect of justice”. “For us as a family, the focus is now on saying goodbye to Lisa. We hope to be able to do that in peace and security, along with our loved ones.” “Lisa has been taken away from them,” Halsema addressed the family and friends of the young woman. “That is terrible and unforgettable. The world was at her feet. We cannot imagine their grief.”