Attack on Dutch Celebrations Leaves 4 Spectators Dead

[pedroh 21]

not on Queen's day!! why???

April 30 (Bloomberg) -- A car slammed into a crowd of people watching an open-top bus carrying members of the Dutch royal family including Queen Beatrix, killing four people and injuring 13.

Five of the injured are severely wounded and eight suffered minor injuries, Fred de Graaf, mayor of the city of Apeldoorn, told a news conference. “A day that started so cheerfully has ended in a drama,” De Graaf said. A 38-year-old Dutch male suspect with no criminal record has been arrested, Ludo Goossens, public prosecutor, said. “We have reason to believe that this was a deliberate act,” Goossens added.

Television footage showed how a black car traveling at high speed came to a standstill against a monument as the bus with the queen and other members of the royal family tried to make a turn. The incident happened at about noon local time. Queen Beatrix, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and his wife, Maxima, were among the royals who witnessed the car crash into a monument. The vehicle was severely damaged.

The monarch canceled today’s Queen’s Day celebrations following the incident in Apeldoorn, about 90 kilometers (56 miles) east of Amsterdam. “We are speechless that such a terrible thing could have happened,” Queen Beatrix said in a televised speech. “My family, but I think all of us in the nation, feel deeply for all the victims, their families and friends,” she added.

No Motive

“This is deliberate, but there’s no motive yet,” Glenn Schoen, head of security and integrity services at Ernst & Young, said in a televised interview. “We have to give authorities time to figure this out and let’s hope that the preliminary conclusion that this is not a conspiracy will be valid,” Schoen added.

The suspect had contact with the police before he was freed from the car and is undergoing surgery for serious injuries, Apeldoorn’s mayor De Graaf added.

Queen’s Day is a national holiday to mark the monarch’s birthday. The tradition started on Aug. 31, 1885, on the birthday of Princess Wilhelmina, later Queen Wilhelmina. The Dutch king or queen heads the constitutional monarchy, co-signs new laws and plays a role in the formation of new governments.

Queen’s Day celebrations in Amsterdam, which attract hundreds of thousands of visitors, went ahead as scheduled. The city of Rotterdam canceled events scheduled for today.

“We’re all deeply shocked by this terrible event,” Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said in televised remarks. “We’re all one with the people that suffer,” he added.

The last time a serious incident happened during Queen’s Day was at the crowning of Queen Beatrix in 1980. Squatters used the occasion in the city of Amsterdam to protest against poor housing conditions in the Netherlands and against the monarchy in general. Clashes with the police and security forces turned violent.

[Nagishkaw 510]

Just terrible.

[thetreble 19]

I saw the video. That car was going super fast.

[Ms. Squirrel 11]

My Mom watched it live on TV and called me at work, crying into the receiver. She loves the Dutch Royals.

It is really sad and so tragic. I work for a Dutch bank and all our Dutch colleagues are off work today to party and celebrate the Queen.

Tragic.

[Otto 83]

[almaty 19]

terrible and just wrong..

[Bobby+Umit 161]

Yikes - that person on the bike moved just in time!