Dutch news in brief, 5 January 2005

Suspected killer commits suicide

A man, 43, arrested for murder after a cashier was stabbed and killed in a supermarket in Amsterdam has himself died, the police said Wednesday. Officers arrested the man shortly after the female cashier was attacked in the Boni supermarket in Reigersbos, southeast Amsterdam. When he was taken to the local police station, the man revealed he had swallowed a poisonous liquid. He became violently ill while on the way to hospital and he died on Wednesday, news agency ANP reported. Police believe the stabbing stemmed from a domestic dispute.

Scheveningen to host Queen’s Day

Queen Beatrix will visit The Hague on Queen’s Day and the Scheveningen district ill play a central part in the annual celebration on 30 April, the government information service RVD said on Wednesday. The RVD declined to go into detail about the event on the 25th jubilee of the Queen’s reign.

Body found in Apeldoorn

Four people have been arrested after police uncovered the body of a man in a former supermarket in Apeldoorn on Wednesday. Officers said the victim had died by violence and a post mortem is being carried out to determine the exact cause of death. Both the victim and the four suspects are members of the homeless community in the city.

Police go collecting unpaid fines

Police officers in Brabant have warned they are shortly going to undertake a massive “Pay-Day” operation to collect unpaid fines in the middle and west of the province. People who face jail sentences will also be rounded up. The police have not been totally forthcoming — they have not named the day when over 100 officers will go in search of the bad debtors. People who can’t afford to pay up, or refuse to do so, risk having property confiscated instead.

Subject: Dutch news