The TBS officer who murdered a person with a knife and seriously injured another at the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam last year showed worrying signs in the run-up, but these were not properly assessed by the supervisory authorities. The Justice and Security Inspectorate and the Healthcare and Youth Inspectorate wrote this in one report published Thursday.
Ayoub M. (23) from Amersfoort stabbed two people with two meat knives at the foot of the Erasmus Bridge on September 19 last year. A 32-year-old Rotterdam resident died, and a 33-year-old Swiss man narrowly escaped death, thanks to a lot of luck. Bystanders managed to overpower M. before he could cause any more victims.
Because M. had stabbed his mother in 2022 during a psychotic episode in which he was incompetent, he underwent a TBS program with conditions – so not in a TBS clinic, provided he did things that would give rise to this. The perpetrator was under the supervision of the Dutch Probation Service, stayed in a Kwintes location for sheltered housing and underwent outpatient forensic treatment at the Waag.
The investigation by the inspectors shows that M. did indeed show “early signals of increasing vulnerability to psychiatric disorders” in the run-up to the stabbing in Rotterdam. Urine tests showed that in the months before the stabbing he used cannabis and cocaine — against the rules — which can trigger new psychoses. The professionals involved judged that his drug use was consistent with his young age “and the appropriate experimental behavior.”
Fake drugs
Three weeks before the fatal stabbing, M. was arrested for trafficking fake drugs in Amsterdam. M. resisted during the arrest, after which he had to spend three days in a police cell. This takes place during a period when the structure in his life disappears due to the summer holidays. “The suspect reverses his day and night rhythm, comes home late and sleeps in during the day.” The authorities involved are considering giving M. TBS with compulsory treatment, but the Public Prosecution Service is giving him one last chance. He must show “openness and willingness to improve behavior.”
The Dutch Probation Service, Kwintes and the Waag did not sufficiently understand the risk M. was exposed to due to his drug use and lack of daytime activities, the inspectorates concluded. “The risks that he could commit a crime again have not been sufficiently recognized. But a connection with the stabbing incident cannot be established.”
After research, experts from the Pieter Baan Center concluded that M. was seriously psychotically disturbed and that this was closely related to “apparent” jihadist, extremist behavior. M. had shouted “Allahu akbar” during his attack and told the police that he was targeting unbelievers. Just hours before the attack, the perpetrator searched for beheading videos from Islamic State (IS). In the months before, he had conversations on the internet about jihad and Islamic extremism. During his introductory hearing last year, M. denied that he had terrorist motives.
M. will be in court again on Monday. The Public Prosecution Service accuses him of murder, attempted murder and threats with a terrorist motive.
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