Óhugnarlegar myndir af hinum hræðilega atburði gærdagsins í Apeldoorn Hollandi , maðurinn sem keyrði bílinn hét Karst Tates, 38 ára gamall hann dó af sárum sínum í nótt á spítala.

Speeding driver who killed five spectators in attack on Dutch royal parade dies

By Mail Foreign Service
Last updated at 11:29 AM on 01st May 2009

 

 

The crazed motorist who killed five people and left eight others fighting for their lives after driving at speed into crowds cheering the Dutch royal family has died.

Karst Tates, 38, who had just lost his job and was about to be evicted from his home, sustained head injuries in the incident. Charged with attacking the royal family, manslaughter or murder, he would have faced up to life imprisonment if he had lived to be convicted.

Tates told one of the first police officers to rush to his car that the attack was aimed at the royal family, prosecutor Ludo Goossens said yesterday - though police still do not know why.

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Shocked bystanders stare in horror as the car knocks two people to the ground

 

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The car ploughs between two police officers, sending people flying

After ploughing through spectators he was either unable to see through his shattered windscreen or could not steer properly and drove the wrong side of a traffic island before crashing into a stone monument.

The open-top bus passed a few yards away as the royals looked on in horror.

The black Suzuki Swift left a trail of devastation, with bodies lying in the road and frantic rescuers trying to give first aid.

The victims included photographers who had been intent on picturing the royal bus when the car smashed into them.

It had already crashed through a security fence, then carved a passage through the crowd.

'I think that it has become clear that this happened with premeditation,' Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said.

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The car, already severely damaged, hurtles towards the monument leaving a trail of people in its wake

The driver, apparently unconscious, is slumped in his car as the royal family (with Queen Beatrix wearing a red hat) look on in shock. The man died in hospital this morning

Neither he nor police would give a motive. But Dutch media, citing neighbours, said the assailant was recently fired from his security guard job and was to be evicted from his home.

After the crash police found Tates slumped against his seat with blood running down his face. He was taken to hospital where he was under heavy guard last night.

'The man said that his action was aimed at the royal family,' said prosecutor Ludo Goossens. Officials in Apeldoorn said the suspect had a map of the queen's route.

Apeldoorn Mayor Fred de Graaf said eight of the injured were in serious condition, including a nine-year-old girl and two teenagers. Three men and two women were killed.

It was the Queen’s Day national holiday in the Netherlands and 71-year-old Queen Beatrix and her family were on their way to a palace in Apeldoorn.

Police rush towards the crashed car, with the royal bus just yards away in the background

 

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The Queen, bottom left, witnesses the crash after turning her head on hearing the screams of the crowd

Dutch TV showed the queen’s heir, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, and his wife Princess Maxima watching in disbelief from the bus. Maxima held her hand over her mouth in horror.

Journalist Peter von de Vorst said: ‘It was a really nice day. Then you hear a bang. Everyone looks up and you see people flying through the air.

‘You think this must be a joke or a strange prank. Then suddenly panic, and you realise something really terrible has happened.’

Photographer Cynthia Boll said: ‘You could see it was serious because everywhere was blood and shoes ripped off and people giving CPR.’

The royals look on in horror just moments after the crash: From left, Queen Beatrix ( in a red hat), Princess Maxima, her husband Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, Prince Maurits, Princess Anita and Princess Marilene

As well as the dead and seriously hurt, five people had minor injuries.

Investigators used a sniffer dog to check the car for explosives before ruling out a terrorist connection.

As planned celebrations were called off across the country, a visibly upset Queen Beatrix made a rare appearance on national TV.

She said: ‘What began as a great day has ended in a terrible tragedy that has shocked us all deeply. We are speechless that something so terrible could have happened.’

A boot and a bicycle lie in the foreground with at least five people lying injured in the background

The car ploughed through the crowds, narrowly missed a policeman on a bicycle, and then smashed into the stone monument

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