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(RNW) – A car that drove straight through a crowd of people in Apeldoorn at the moment the royal family was passing by, did so deliberately. That was confirmed by the authorities at a press conference. The drama cost the lives of four members of the public, and a further 13 were injured, five of them severely.
The town of Apeldoorn was this year’s setting for the traditional Queen’s Day festivities. An open-top bus with the royal family on board was close to the monument `The Needle’, when a black Suzuki appeared at high speed out of nowhere.
[The car crashed from behind through rows of spectators. Some 24 people were injured and had to be treated by doctors at the intersection. At the present FIVE persons have died. The car was severely damaged as it moved in the direction of the royal family. – Oui]
Members of the royal family express shock as they witness the incident.
Driver arrested
A planned action, said the Public Prosecutor at a press conference following several hours of chaos. In order to arrive at the monument, the car must have gone through a roadblock. Furthemore, the car was driving into the crowd at high speed.
The driver survived the impact. He was arrested, but due to the seriousness of his injuries he had to be taken straight to hospital for an operation. Nevertheless, Chief Public Prosecutor Ludo Goossens could confirm that it was indeed not an accident:
- “At the moment, I can tell you that from our first contact with the accused, there are indications that this was a deliberately planned action. As a prelude to this action, there are indications that there was earlier contact with officers from the military police, after which the incident we all witnessed took place.”
According to Mr Goosens, the contact with the accused took place before he was cut free from the seriously damaged vehicle. He’s a 38-year-old native Dutchman who wasn’t known to the police, and it also isn’t known whether he has mental problems.
[The suspect had recently lost his job as security worker. He was a quiet persons who didn’t chat much with his neighbors. He is one of the severely injured and according to the latest news suffered brain trauma with no chance of survival. – Oui]
On the sidelines of today’s Dutch news:
First confirmed case of Mexican H1N1 virus infection in the Netherlands
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It has been awhile since such an attack took place …
The Dutch were taken by surprise with today’s deadly attack on the royal family. Queen’s Day is an historic day of festivities for the whole family, especially young children.
DELFT – Some four centuries ago William of Orange walked about in the buildings of the Museum Het Prinsenhof. From here the prince, who was the founder of the Republic, led the Revolt against Philip II, ruler of the Netherlands and king of Spain. His ambitions: religious freedom and tolerance. On 10 July 1584, upon leaving the dining room, Orange was assassinated on the stairs.
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."That’s really terrible. Those poor people in the path of the car.
sucks.. but a wake up call. I’m guessing this lunatic had been threatening the royals.. cops should have been on it.. watching the guy.
here in the U.S., it’s more important to spy on people’s emails/phone calls who are NO threat to anyone. stupid.
it appears the reasons for the attack, other than speculation, will remain an enigma…Dutch parade attack driver dies.
a truly senseless tragedy all ’round.
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On Dutch blogs an astounding comment how well dressed the driver of the black Suzuki looked and with a special hair cut. Remembering Robert de Niro in Taxi Driver.
Travis views himself as “God’s lonely man,” yet the point of “God’s Lonely Man,” an essay by Thomas Wolfe from which Schrader took this phrase, is that loneliness is a trait that all men possess, even if each man believes his feelings are original and unique. Travis’s loneliness, combined with his charisma, makes him fascinating. Travis’s racism and violent actions are not endearing, but we can sympathize with his loneliness and with his early attempts to integrate with society.
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."