A violent stabbing incident occurred in central Amsterdam on Thursday, leaving four people seriously wounded, according to Dutch police. Authorities have taken a suspect into custody after a bystander intervened and overpowered the attacker.

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Initially, police said that five people were injured in the stabbing attack, as the suspect also sustained injuries during the altercation, prior to being apprehended.

Police said that an investigation was underway in full swing, adding that there was no immediate information about the motive behind the stabbing. 

"This afternoon, at around 3:50 (1450 GMT), a stabbing took place here in the Saint Nicolaasstraat. Four people were injured here, seriously injured. And a suspect was arrested, who was also injured," a police spokesman told reporters.

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In a statement on social media platform X, police said that a bystander overpowered the suspect, who sustained injuries to the leg.

'Suspect receiving medical care'

The suspect "is receiving medical care and will be questioned at a later stage", said the police spokesman. 

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Following the stabbing incident, police cordoned off the area surrounding the scene, located near the iconic Dam Square in central Amsterdam. A trauma helicopter landed in the vicinity, airlifting the victims to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.

The injured, according to news agency AFP, were evacuated from the location, but there was a heavy police presence.

Early images released by local news agency ANP showed a person on a stretcher being loaded into the back of an ambulance.

Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema left a meeting in the town hall when news of the attack broke, according to local media reports.

Local media Het Parool, cited a witness, Marco Schoenmaecker, as saying that he saw one of the victims of the attack.

"I saw a knife of at least 10 centimetres (nearly four inches) sticking out of the girl's back, between her shoulders," Het Parool quoted Schoenmaeckers as saying.

(With inputs from agencies)