Bloody attack in Rotterdam

Attacker overpowered: “Gave him blows”

(Bild: APA/AP)

A suspected Islamist stabbed passers-by indiscriminately on Thursday evening, killing one victim and seriously injuring another. However, the attack could have ended much worse: A fitness trainer overpowered the knifeman. "I gave him a few punches in the face," he said after intervening.

The attacker had struck near the Erasmus Bridge in the city center. The man had shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is great), witnesses reported.

Overpowering the attacker was the "logical" reaction
Fitness trainer Reniël Renato David Litecia is being celebrated as a hero after his intervention. He told De Telegraaf that his actions were "logical" for him. "At first I thought there was going to be a fight. I wanted to calm the situation down, but as I approached at a run, I saw that something else was going on," said the 32-year-old.

He eventually realized that a man "with two long knives" was attacking a young boy who was riding a scooter. "When I shouted at the knife attacker, he turned around and became aggressive towards everyone around him. My client, who I was training at the time, was already safe at the time. I had asked her to call the emergency services."

Emergency services at the Erasmus Bridge, where the suspected Islamist stabbed passers-by

(Bild: AP)

Attacker followed fugitives into museum
The attacker then approached people who were at a reception. Litecia explained that he had warned these people by shouting. "They didn't recognize the danger." His shouts then sent them running into the museum, but the perpetrator followed them. 

There, the suspect raged and the receptionists tried to protect themselves with tables and chairs. When the attacker ran outside again, Litecia finally grabbed a stick. "When the man was at the door, I stood there. I punched him a few times in the face," said the fitness trainer, who was eventually able to overpower and disarm the raving man. 

The attacker's motive is still unclear. The Dutch police are investigating.