Suriname: 5 children among 9 stabbed to death in Paramaribo; suspect in custody

At least nine people, including five children, were stabbed to death overnight in Suriname’s capital, Paramaribo, police said on Sunday.

The suspect, who appeared to struggle with mental health issues, was injured during the arrest and is now hospitalised under police supervision.

According to local reports, the man’s own children were among the victims. The incident reportedly began after a heated argument with his wife over the phone, which preceded a brutal attack on his 11-year-old daughter. “A man killed four adults and five children with a sharp object at a residence in Hadji Iding Soemitaweg,” the police said in a statement.

The violence did not end there. Police said a sixth child and an adult were seriously injured and rushed to the hospital. Officers arriving at the scene had to open fire after the suspect attacked them with a sharp object. He sustained a gunshot wound to the leg during the confrontation.

Local media visiting the area described the suspect as having a history of mental health challenges. Neighbours in the Hadji Iding Soemitaweg neighbourhood of the Commewijne district expressed shock at the tragedy.

Suriname’s President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons addressed the horrifying incident on her Facebook page, reflecting on the profound impact of the killings. “At a time when family and friends should stand together and support one another, we are faced with the harsh reality that there is another side to the world,” she wrote. “A father who takes the lives of his own children and, in the process, kills his neighbors as well. I wish all those in mourning much strength, courage, and comfort in this unimaginably difficult time.”

Police said further details about the attack are expected as investigations continue.