Arrest of a person on charges of shooting at Syrian teenagers on New Year's Day in Amsterdam
Amsterdam police arrested a 25-year-old man suspected of shooting two Syrian teenagers on New Year's Day, resulting in their deaths. The arrest was made on January 20 and was only officially announced today.
The shooting occurred on January 1 at 11:45 PM in a park in the Amsterdam New-West area. Officers found the two boys, aged 18 and 16, with gunshot wounds; both died at the scene. A third teenager survived without injuries.
The suspect appeared before the investigating judge and was placed in provisional detention with restrictions, allowed only to contact his lawyer. The police have not yet revealed whether he had any prior connection to the victims.
The victims were residing in a reception center run by the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA), near the shooting site. It is not yet known whether the suspect had any connection to this facility.
Authorities continue to investigate the motives behind the incident and review any potential connections between the suspect and the victims, while emphasizing that the threat of violence in the area remains.