by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
PARAMARIBO/AMSTERDAM (Worthy News) – A knife attack outside Suriname’s capital Paramaribo killed at least nine people, including five children, police said Sunday, in one of the deadliest violent incidents in the small country’s recent history.
The attack occurred in Richelieu, a small community in Suriname’s Commewijne District, about 25 kilometers (15 miles) east of Paramaribo, authorities confirmed.
Police said the victims included the attacker’s own children as well as neighbors who tried to help. Local media reported that victims were found at multiple homes.
The suspect—a 43-year-old man—allegedly attacked after a telephone argument with his estranged wife, according to police and witness accounts.
Neighbors said the violence began after the woman indicated she would not pick up the children herself but would send someone else.
PRESIDENT REACTS, DUTCH MEDIA REPORT SHOCK
In a statement, Suriname’s Police Corps said officers who responded were also threatened, and the suspect was injured during his arrest. He is now recovering in a hospital under guard, police added.
Authorities said a sixth child and another adult were seriously injured and remain hospitalized in Paramaribo.
Suriname’s President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons expressed condolences, saying 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 wrote in Dutch, Suriname’s official language.
Dutch public broadcasters and major newspapers reported extensively on the tragedy, highlighting Suriname’s historical ties to the Netherlands as a former Dutch colony.
MASS VIOLENCE
Dutch outlets underscored the rarity of such mass violence in Suriname and relayed the president’s statement.
That also noted police confirmation that the suspect was taken into custody and that the investigation is ongoing.
Suriname, the smallest independent nation in South America, has a population of about 600,000 and has traditionally recorded low homicide rates.
However, crime-monitoring data show the murder rate rose sharply in 2024, to around 30 homicides per 100,000 residents, drawing renewed attention to public safety and domestic violence prevention.
Police said the investigation continues and urged residents to seek help if they experience domestic threats or violence.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
U.S.-Iran peace negotiations faced new turbulence Thursday after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned commercial vessels against using routes outside Tehran’s approved passage through the Strait of Hormuz, while Iranian officials also rejected U.S. claims that unfrozen funds would be used to buy American agricultural products.
Fulani herdsmen attacked a Christian village in Plateau state, Nigeria, early Monday, killing 28 Christians, including a pastor, after reportedly being guided toward the homes of church leaders, according to Christian Daily International-Morning Star News.
U.S. Central Command said Wednesday that American forces killed a senior ISIS leader in a precision airstrike in northwest Syria, as the terror group seeks to exploit the country’s unstable security environment following years of war and political upheaval.
An incident at a beauty salon in Pakistan’s largest city has sparked renewed debate about discrimination against Christians after a customer reportedly refused to be served by a Christian employee because of her faith.
A series of major earthquakes shook different parts of the world within less than 24 hours, killing nearly 200 people, injuring many more, and briefly raising fears of a wider global seismic crisis.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel will not withdraw from its security zone in southern Lebanon, insisting the Israel Defense Forces will remain in key positions for as long as necessary to protect Israeli citizens from Hezbollah and other jihadist threats.
A federal judge in Boston on Thursday blocked the Trump administration from enforcing major portions of President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at tightening rules for mail-in voting, delivering another legal setback to the White House as the administration presses its election integrity agenda ahead of November’s federal elections.