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A British man has been praised for tackling a suspected knifeman to the ground in central Amsterdam.<\/p>\n
The tourist, who does not wish to be named, restrained the suspect after five people were stabbed near the Dutch capital’s Dam Square on Thursday. <\/p>\n
Video of the incident shows the Briton, wearing jeans and a black hoodie, kneeling on his back and twisting his arm until police arrived.<\/p>\n
Amsterdam’s Mayor Femke Halsema said she was impressed by his decisive action, telling local broadcasters he showed “exceptional” instinct.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Amsterdam’s Mayor Femke Halsema said she was impressed by his decisive action, telling local broadcasters he showed “exceptional” instinct.<\/p>\n
Halsema personally thanked the British man at her official residence, where he was given an award for bravery, Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reported.<\/p>\n
Explaining that he wished to stay anonymous, she said the man had no desire to become “famous” and that his main concern had been for the victims of the attack.<\/p>\n
“He is a very modest British man,” she told local broadcaster AT5.<\/p>\n
“This man made a decision in a split second, which is truly exceptional and for which there should be a lot of appreciation.”<\/p>\n
A police spokeswoman said the “heroic” Briton had performed a citizen’s arrest, restraining the suspect until police could arrest him. <\/p>\n
She told the BBC: “We found it very heroic and brave what he did. <\/p>\n
“It is a split second whether people go into action or not – it’s really brave if people take responsibility but you also want to take care of your own safety, because you never know what the circumstances are.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Officers were called just before 15:30 local time (14:30 GMT) and found five injured people at various locations in and around Sint Nicolaasstraat in the centre of the city, police said.<\/p>\n
The suspect, a 30-year-old man from Ukraine, was arrested and taken to hospital with a leg injury.<\/p>\n
The victims were a 67-year-old woman and a 69-year-old man, both from the US, a 26-year-old Polish man, a 73-year-old woman from Belgium, and a 19-year-old Dutch woman.<\/p>\n
Police say the motive behind the attack is under investigation, but they are considering the possibility the suspect could have chosen victims at random. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n