A Syrian armed with an ax and shouting “Allahu Akbar” in the city of Schiedam was shot and subdued by police.
By: AP and World Israel News Staff
Dutch police shot and wounded a Syrian man Wednesday who attacked officers trying to arrest him after alarmed neighbors reported that he was standing on an apartment balcony waving an ax and shouting “Allahu akbar.”
“Allahu Akbar” (“God is great” in Arabic) is a phrase often used by Muslim terrorists during attacks.
In a statement, police said the shooting happened in Schiedam near the port city of Rotterdam when police tried unsuccessfully to calm the 26-year-old man. When an arrest team entered the apartment, the suspect attacked them and stabbed a police dog, which later died of its injuries.
Schiedam Mayor Cor Lamers issued a statement saying that the suspect was a Syrian who had been living with his father in Schiedam since last year.
“The man was known to several help organizations but this was an escalation we had not seen coming,” Lamers said.
The violent incident occurred a day after a Muslim terrorist in Belgium attacked and killed two female police officers and fatally shot a passer-by before being shot dead by police forces.
Both incidents occurred during the Muslim month of Ramadan, which usually sees an increase in terrorism.