iStock/Thinkstock(AMSTERDAM) — The man suspected of having a “terrorist motive” when he stabbed two American tourists in Amsterdam was still being interrogated Sunday by investigators, Dutch authorities told ABC News.
The 19-year-old suspect, whom police only identified as Jawed S., was allegedly responsible for Friday’s stabbing in the busy main railway station of Amsterdam, police said.
He has a temporary German residence permit and was in the process of obtaining a permanent one, officials said.
German police raided his apartment Saturday and seized several electronic devices that will be transferred to Holland for further investigation.
Jawed S. will have a brief, closed hearing Monday in front of the investigative judge, police and prosecution officials tell ABC News.
He will not be asked to plead, they said.
“In general, the investigative judge might decide to leave the suspect in custody for the next two weeks, so that the investigation continues,” Justine Osbroek, Dutch prosecutor in Amsterdam, told ABC News. “Two weeks later, the court will decide whether to extend the detention for 30, 60 or 90 days.”
Jawed S. allegedly stabbed the two American tourists around noon Friday with a huge knife at the Central Station, through which approximately 250,000 people travel every day.
Police quickly responded and shot the suspect in the lower body. He was wounded by survived the shooting.
The two U.S. citizens injured in the attack have not been identified. Pete Hoekstra, the U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands, said Saturday that the injured Americans were tourists visiting the city.
The victims were recovering in a hospital from what police said were serious but not life-threatening injuries.
A spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of State said it “extends its concern and support” for the two victims.
“We ask that all parties respect the privacy of the victims and their families at this difficult time,” said Heather Nauert, the spokeswoman for the department, in a statement.
She added that Dutch authorities are “focused on a terrorist motive for this unprovoked, horrifying attack.”
Holland has been considered a target since attacks by Islamist extremists in France, Belgium, England and Germany, and because Holland supports military operations against ISIS in the Middle East.
Nauert, who praised Dutch authorities for their “courageous efforts,” said in the statement that the U.S. “stands with our Dutch allies and others in our common fight against terrorism in all forms.”
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