A British man has been praised for tackling a suspected knifeman to the ground in central Amsterdam.

The tourist, who does not wish to be named, restrained the suspect after five people were stabbed near the Dutch capital's Dam Square on Thursday.

Video of the incident shows the Briton, wearing jeans and a black hoodie, kneeling on his back and twisting his arm until police arrived.

Amsterdam's Mayor Femke Halsema said she was impressed by his decisive action, telling local broadcasters he showed "exceptional" instinct.

Five people injured in stabbing in Amsterdam, police say

Halsema personally thanked the British man at her official residence, where he was given an award for bravery, Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reported.

Explaining that he wished to stay anonymous, she said the man had no desire to become "famous" and that his main concern had been for the victims of the attack.

"He is a very modest British man," she told local broadcaster AT5.

"This man made a decision in a split second, which is truly exceptional and for which there should be a lot of appreciation."

A police spokeswoman said the "heroic" Briton had performed a citizen's arrest, restraining the suspect until police could arrest him.

She told the BBC: "We found it very heroic and brave what he did.

"It is a split second whether people go into action or not - it's really brave if people take responsibility but you also want to take care of your own safety, because you never know what the circumstances are."

Officers were called just before 15:30 local time (14:30 GMT) and found five injured people at various locations in and around Sint Nicolaasstraat in the centre of the city, police said.

The suspect, a 30-year-old man from Ukraine, was arrested and taken to hospital with a leg injury.

The victims were a 67-year-old woman and a 69-year-old man, both from the US, a 26-year-old Polish man, a 73-year-old woman from Belgium, and a 19-year-old Dutch woman.

Police say the motive behind the attack is under investigation, but they are considering the possibility the suspect could have chosen victims at random. (BBC)

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