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A surge of public outrage has erupted across Holland after the detention of an asylum seeker connected to the murder of a 17-year-old girl who was stabbed to death while on the phone with the police, reporting that she was being followed during her bike ride home.
The lifeless body of Lisa was discovered by police in a roadside ditch in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
The teenager had been returning from an evening out with friends when she was attacked by a man who was also riding a bicycle, all while she was calling emergency services.
The principal suspect in the investigation is a 22-year-old asylum seeker, taken into custody four days prior for a separate rape incident in Amsterdam on August 15, and who is also accused of assaulting another woman just five days before that.
The brutal killing of the teenager has led to a wave of anger and has prompted a nationwide ‘reclaim the night’ movement, inspired by a viral poem written by a Dutch actress and author, depicting Lisa’s last moments as she cycled home.
On Instagram, Nienke Gravemade expressed: ‘The red bag. My thoughts keep returning to that red bag. It swung from her handlebars as she rode through the night. A night that was rightfully hers as well.’
‘I claim the night. I claim the streets. I demand that the fear be lifted.’
Alongside the poem, the author posted the hashtag #rechtopdenacht or ‘right to the night’.
Law enforcement is on the lookout for two individuals seen on CCTV who may be key witnesses to the attack on Lisa on August 20: a scooter rider and the occupants of a Biro microcar.
On Sunday, around 500 people participated in a March Against Femicide in Rotterdam in the wake of Lisa’s death, carrying signs such as ‘She had dreams, no grave needed’ and ‘Not all men, but always men’
A sea of flowers at the village church in memory of Lisa, who was found dead along Holterbergweg in Duivendrecht
On Wednesday morning at around 3:30 am local time, Lisa parted with her friends and began her cycle ride home on an electric bike from the centre of Amsterdam to the nearby town of Abcoude.
While on her way home, she noticed someone following her and suspected she was about to be attacked, so she called the emergency 112 number for help.
The attack occurred south of the secondary school she had just recently graduated from, the Spinoza20First in Amsterdam-Oost.
But when the police arrived at the scene at 4:15 am after a call from the public, she was found dead with stabs wounds on her body including her neck.
She was discovered in a ditch near the water’s edge along the Holterbergweg, close to the Johan Cruijff Arena stadium and concert venue Ziggo Dome.
The victim was described by police as having medium-length blonde hair. She was wearing a light grey hoodie, light grey trousers and black Adidas trainers when she was attacked.
She also had a red handbag hanging from the the handlebars of her bicycle which was from Cowboy with a light grey frame and black chain lock.
A statement from her grief-stricken family said: ‘Our hearts are broken. We hope we can mourn Lisa’s loss together in peace and privacy. We are immense supported by the love and sympathy from family, friends, and fellow villagers, and we want to express our gratitude for this.’
Crowds at an Ajax football match at the Johan Cruijff Arena stood in silence in memory of the teenager and held banners with her name
Flowers at the spot where 17-year-old Lisa was found dead along Holterbergweg in Duivendrecht
Chief Public Prosecutor René de Beukelaer, Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema, and Amsterdam Police Chief Peter Holla address the press about the death of 17-year-old Lisa from Abcoude
Flowers in memory of the 17-year-old girl who was found dead along a roadside in Duivendrecht
Police are investigating the scene where a 17-year-old girl was found dead along a roadside in Duivendrecht
Participants in a weekly protest march against femicide in Rotterdam where the activists want to raise awareness of the problem of domestic violence
The suspect, identified on August 22, was staying at a site run by the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) in Amsterdam, reported Dutch media outlet NOS.
He was arrested on August 21 for the rape of a woman in Weesperzijde on August 15, just five kilometres from where Lisa was found brutally killed.
The asylum seeker is also accused of attempting to sexually assault a third woman on August 10, also in Weesperzijde.
He will appear before court today, where the examining magistrate will review the details of the case and determine whether to keep him in pre-trial custody.
The Public Prosecution Service (OM) may also reveal more details from the investigation.
Dozens of tips have been released but the police are appealing to at least three potential witnesses spotted on CCTV around the time of the attack to piece together what happened to Lisa on her journey home.
The potential witnesses include a scooter rider, the occupants of a light-coloured delivery van, and the occupants of a Biro microcar who were driving on the road near where her body was found.
A large portion of the victim’s cycling route is covered by video, but clear footage of the last seven minutes – between the Breitnertoren (near Amstel Station) and Holterbergweg – are still missing.
‘The loss of Lisa is incomprehensible to her family and has brought them intense grief,’ the victims’ services organisation Names de Familie said
The March Against Femicide has been occurring every week since early August following the killing of two women in two days the previous month – both allegedly by their partners or ex-partners
Dozens of tips have been released but the police are appealing to at least three potential witnesses spotted on CCTV around the time of the attack to piece together what happened to Lisa on her journey home
‘What happened between the victim’s departure from Leidseplein and the discovery of her body is still unclear,’ the force said in a statement.
‘We are urgently seeking information about her last cycling route and are calling on three specific road users to come forward. Do you know anything, or were you one of them? Contact the police immediately.’
On Sunday, around 500 people participated in a March Against Femicide in Rotterdam in the wake of Lisa’s death, carrying signs such as ‘She had dreams, no grave needed’ and ‘Not all men, but always men’.
The protest, organised by Dutch Feminist group Dolle Mina Rotterdam, has been occurring every week since early August following the killing of two women in two days the previous month – both allegedly by their partners or ex-partners.
Crowds at an Ajax football match at the Johan Cruijff Arena stood in silence in memory of the teenager and held banners with her name on Sunday.
She was a supporter of the football club and her body was discovered near its grounds.
Lisa’s family have asked for her surname and photograph not to be circulated publicly. ‘The loss of Lisa is incomprehensible to her family and has brought them intense grief,’ the victims’ services organisation Names de Familie said.
The new headteacher of Spinoza20First, Kimberley Kaizer, told RTL Nieuws that the school is looking for an appropriate way to hold a memorial for the teenager.
Just before the summer, she had graduated from the pre-university programme.
‘We are waiting to hear what the family’s wishes are; once we have that clear, we will take action. There will be time to reflect together,’ Kaizer said. ‘We want to adequately care for the staff and students, and provide them with space to process this news,’ she added.
Following the attack, hard-right nationalist politicians such as Geert Wilders, the leader of the Freedom Party (PVV), pledged to close the Netherlands to asylum seekers.
The Netherlands faces a snap election on October 29 after Wilders pulled his party out of the Conservative coalition following a dispute about the government’s position on asylum.
He toppled the coalition after accusing ministers of not being strong enough against illegal or criminal asylum seekers, and demanded they commit to a 10-point plan on migration.
