Knife attack near Suriname capital kills at least nine, including children

Suriname: A knife attack outside Suriname’s capital, Paramaribo, killed at least nine people, including five children, police said Sunday. Officials confirmed that the victims included four of the attacker’s children and neighbours who came to their aid.

A neighbour’s child was also among those killed. Local media reported that the victims were located in multiple homes.

The attack took place in Richelieu, in the Commewijne district about 25 kilometers (15 miles) east of Paramaribo. Suriname’s Police Corps said the male suspect attempted to attack officers who arrived at the scene and was injured during his arrest. He is now recovering in hospital.

Police said a sixth child and another adult were seriously injured and are being treated at a hospital in Paramaribo.

On her Facebook page, Surinamese President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons said the attacker took the lives of his children and neighbours. She added:
"I wish all the bereaved much strength, resilience, and comfort in this unimaginably difficult time."

Suriname, a former Dutch colony, is the smallest independent nation in South America, with a population of around 600,000. It has traditionally had one of the lowest murder rates in the region, but the murder rate spiked in 2024 to 30 homicides per 100,000 residents, according to the think tank Insight Crime.