A major breakthrough in the mysterious murders in The Hague and Heerlen: police apprehended a suspect around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday evening, following a search report earlier in the evening. The 27-year-old Thijs H. is suspected of the murders on the Brunssummerheide and in The Hague. He was arrested in South Limburg, on a public road.
So reports the police in Limburg.
H. is suspected of murdering two people, 63-year-old Diny and a still unknown Heerlen man of 68, on Tuesday on the Brunssummerheide in Heerlen. He is also associated with the deadly violent incident in the Scheveningse Bosjes in The Hague, on May 4. In that incident, 56-year-old Etsuko died. All three victims were walking their dogs when the perpetrator struck. ''We also see that connection, so we are including that in our investigation into the motive and cause,'' said a spokesman. Police thank "citizens and media" for sharing the call en masse.
Detection list
About two hours after the police placed H. on the investigation list and disclosed his name and photo, he could be apprehended. "All tips received by the investigation team, with the exception of the whereabouts of the suspect, are still under further scrutiny. It is important that we get as complete a picture of this suspect as possible." Exactly where H. was detained is still unknown.
Police advised against approaching the man themselves, partly because of his "possibly unstable mental state. He is from The Hague but also regularly stays in southern Limburg.
'This is rare'
How police tracked down the suspect is still unclear. However, officers did collect camera footage around the crime scenes, possibly showing him on it. "We don't do this often," the spokesman said earlier Wednesday night about distributing the name and photo of a suspect. "But given the nature of the incidents, three people are dead, we're doing it now. Let's hope we know where this man is as soon as possible. But he can react dangerously, so please call 0800-6070, but 1-1-2 is also possible."
