A Palestinian-Syrian man already notorious for a violent stabbing spree in 2018 is back in the spotlight—this time for allegedly launching a brutal knife attack on a Jewish patient inside a Dutch psychiatric facility.
The suspect, known as Malek F., was under mandatory treatment at the Mesdag TBS clinic in Groningen when, on April 6, he reportedly crept up behind another patient and drove a blade deep into the man’s neck. Authorities believe the act was fueled by extremist ideology and are treating the case as an attempted terrorist murder.
Investigators finally took Malek into custody after digging into the incident and evaluating his mental health. “The arrest followed a thorough inquiry and had to wait until conditions allowed,” said a spokesperson from the Dutch Public Prosecution Service.
The stabbing has reopened a troubling chapter for Dutch society, as many question how someone with such a violent track record was granted any degree of freedom. Back in 2018, Malek attacked three strangers in The Hague, slicing one victim so severely it nearly proved fatal. Witnesses recalled him shouting “Allahu Akbar” during the rampage. While prosecutors pressed for a lengthy prison sentence and indefinite psychiatric detention, a court ultimately declared him not criminally responsible, citing psychosis. He was handed over to psychiatric care rather than prison.
Despite warnings from specialists about the potential for relapse, Malek was given increasing independence—including unsupervised leave. Incredibly, plans were in motion to allow him to live on his own later this year. All of that ground to a halt after the April attack.
The latest victim, fortunately, survived and is now receiving medical care. Dutch immigration authorities have hinted they may revoke Malek’s residency permit in the wake of the attack. Meanwhile, past victims of his 2018 assault expressed outrage over his unsupervised privileges, saying they were kept informed of his rehabilitation but never imagined he’d be free enough to strike again.
Far-right politician Geert Wilders weighed in on social media, using the incident to blast the Netherlands’ approach to radical Islam. “Islam does not belong in the Netherlands. Neither do radical Muslims,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter), linking the stabbing to a broader trend of violent crime.
In a separate case that emerged the same day, The Hague police released chilling surveillance footage from January showing a man accused of sexually assaulting a young woman at her doorstep after walking her home from a café. The suspect fled the scene when a neighbor and their dog appeared.
Authorities are asking the public for help identifying the suspect in the video, while the woman continues to receive support and treatment.
