A stabbing attack in Amsterdam on Thursday wounded five people, Dutch police said, adding that a suspect was in custody.

Police erected a cordon around the area where the stabbings took place, near the central Dam Square.

“We currently have no information about the cause or motive of the stabbing incident. This is part of our investigation,” police said in a statement.

An AFP reporter on the scene said the injured had been evacuated but there was still a heavy police presence and ambulances were also on hand.

There was no immediate information on the condition of those wounded.

Early images from local news agency ANP showed a person on a stretcher being loaded into the back of an ambulance.

A trauma helicopter landed on Dam Square to tend to the victims.

According to local media reports, Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema left a meeting in the town hall when news of the attack broke.

The police urged anyone with images of the incident to upload them as evidence. They also called on people to avoid the area and let them carry out their investigation.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)