4 september 2009 - Landelijk Parket
The attack on Queen’s Birthday was a one-man crusade of Karst T. for which he had made just a few preparations. Most probably he wanted to hit the coach of the Royal Family with his black Suzuki Swift. This violent act took the lives of eight people, including the culprit himself. Nine others were seriously injured.
Because of Karst T.’s death , neither the investigations of the National Criminal Investigation Department of the National Police Agency (KLPD) nor behavioural analyses of the Netherlands Institute for Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology (NIFP) are able to clearly explain his intentions and motives.
It is likely that Karst T. was not aware of people standing at the crossing, when he left from the Bosweg for his death-defying drive. Nor has it been established that he, while driving on the Jachtlaan, saw the public standing at the crossing. Although he hooted a couple of times, he never slowed down; and technical investigations don’t indicate any use of his brakes.
The investigation of the National Criminal Investigation Department focused on excluding the many conceivable scenarios of the circumstances of the violent incident. In addition, to prevent any possible further attacks, the main priority was to gather evidence of the incident itself.
Under the authority of the National Office of the Public Prosecution Service, the investigation of the National Criminal Investigation Department focused on a reconstruction of the violent act, its preparation and the motive of the culprit. At the same time, help was provided to victims and surviving relatives, in cooperation with the regional police force.
After the vehicle had hit the monument ‘de Naald’ and come to a standstill, T. spoke with investigators and a paramedic. He stated a couple of times that he had acted was deliberately. When asked by an investigator, T. stated: “The Queen, the Queen.” When asked why he did it, he replied: “Willem Alexander is a fascist; he is a racist and I knew that the Queen was coming here”. When asked whether he deliberately wanted to hit the coach, Karst T. replied affirmatively. This was also heard by another investigator.
Investigations have revealed that the Suzuki Swift changed its direction after the collision with the public and the barriers and came to a standstill against ‘de Naald’. Technical investigations have showed that the vehicle was never out of control during the whole ride (until ‘de Naald’). If the car would have collided with the Royal Family coach, the passengers would have sustained injuries, minor to serious, depending on the speed of the car and the exact angle of the impact.
The National Criminal Investigation Department investigated whether Karst T. was a supporter of a certain political or ideological conviction which might have driven him to his action. He had never been politically or ideologically active. It is unlikely that he acted out of a certain ideology of philosophy. Nor did the National Criminal Investigation Department find any indications that Karst T. had an extreme aversion to the Royal Family.
By order of the Public Prosecution Service the NIFP conducted a behavioural analysis of the mind-set of Karst T.. The purpose of the study was to gain a better understanding of the events and to determine if Karst T. suffered from a psychiatric disorder before or during the incident or whether this could be excluded. On the basis of this study, no psychiatric disorder could be diagnosed in Karst T.; not in his previous history, nor during the incident.
It has been established, however, that Karst T. had fallen into a downward spiral in the autumn of 2008. The reason this happened was unclear; although he himself said that it was related to a labour dispute. He resigned, isolated himself, also from his family. Family members said that early March they were afraid Karst T. was suicidal. Later, by his looks he seemed to be better. He turned out, however, to have been without a job for six months, not to have applied for a benefit and to eat into his financial reserves.
At the end of March he gave notice of terminating his tenancy agreement with effect from 1 May 2009. He hadn’t made any arrangements for a new flat, however, nor had he made any preparations to move. Still, Karst T. made a normal impression on people who spoke with him during the last days of his life.