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Bomb stampede

May 5, 2010

A man is being held in custody after scores of people were injured at a war remembrance ceremony attended by Dutch monarch Queen Beatrix. Panic broke out among spectators, who feared a possible bomb attack.

https://p.dw.com/p/NFHC
People running during the bomb panic at the ceremony in Amsterdam
The incident left 63 people injured because of a stampedeImage: picture alliance/dpa

Dutch prosecutors said that a 39-year-old man would be kept under arrest until at least Friday on suspicion of sparking panic at a memorial ceremony in Amsterdam.

A stampede broke as spectators at the event fled fearing a bomb attack on Tuesday, leaving 63 people injured. The ceremony was attended by Dutch monarch Queen Beatrix, who was present with other members of the Dutch royal family.

Police said that the suspect was being charged with disrupting the public peace and causing bodily harm.

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands
Queen Beatrix was targeted in an assassination plot one year earlierImage: picture-alliance/ dpa

Television footage showed crowd members hurrying away from the scene, fearing a possible bomb attack was underway. A man, dressed as an orthodox Jew, began shouting during a two-minute silence for the nation's war dead.

Suitcase appeared to be bomb

The individual was carrying a suitcase, prompting bystanders to suspect that there was a bomb and to run. Dozens of people fell or were knocked down by others, suffering bruises and broken bones.

Queen Beatrix, her son Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and his wife Princess Maxima were whisked away by security officers. They reappeared soon afterwards to complete the ceremony. The queen also visited injured victims.

Amsterdam police chief Bernard Welten said no bomb was found.

The incident came just over one year after an assassination attempt against Queen Beatrix. On April 30, 2009, during a Queen's Day celebration, a 38-year-old man drove his vehicle into a procession of people, aiming at a bus carrying the royal family. Seven people were killed, along with the man himself.

rc/Reuters/AFP
Editor: Rob Turner