A knife attack outside Suriname’s capital, Paramaribo, has killed at least nine people, including five children, police said Sunday. Officials reported the victims included the attacker’s own children and neighbors who tried to intervene. Local media said the victims were found at multiple homes in Richelieu, a district about 25 kilometers east of the capital.
Suriname’s Police Corps said the male suspect tried to attack officers who arrived at the scene and was injured during his arrest; he is now recovering in hospital. Police added that a sixth child and another adult were seriously injured and receiving treatment in Paramaribo.
Reacting to the tragedy, President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons wrote on Facebook that the attacker took the lives of his children and neighbors. “I wish all the bereaved much strength, resilience, and comfort in this unimaginably difficult time,” she said. Suriname, with a population of about 600,000, has traditionally had low murder rates, though violence rose in 2024.