Dutch massacre driver had lost job and home
Saturday May 02 2009
THE man who rammed his car into crowds at the annual parade for the Dutch queen, killing six, appears to have been in despair after losing his job and his home.
Karst Tates (38) died early yesterday from injuries that he received when smashing his Suzuki car through barriers and hitting bystanders in a failed attempt to reach the royals' open-topped bus.
He was due to hand back the keys of his apartment yesterday because he could no longer pay the rent.
Tates was described by neighbours as a friendly loner who had worked as a security guard before being made redundant.
The death toll rose yesterday when a military policeman, Roel Nijenhuis, (55) died from his injuries. Two men and two women died shortly after impact, while a third man died in hospital later on Thursday.
Despite witnessing the horrific attack, which left eight people seriously ill in hospital, Queen Beatrix is determined to go ahead with her attendance at a World War II memorial ceremony on Monday.
Security could be tightened after the authorities began a review to discover how Tates was able to smash through two sets of metal barriers.
It appears that he simply charged the barricades, but was so badly injured in the process and his car so severely damaged that he lost direction. He missed the royal bus by 15 metres and came to a stop when he struck a monument. Tates told the first police officer to reach his car that his target had been the popular royals.
Tates had lived for the past two years in the village of Huissen, near Arnhem, 30 miles south of Apeldoorn.
Sem Bosman, his landlord, said: "He informed me that he had been dismissed and could no longer pay the rent. I have never had such a well-behaved tenant. He always paid on time."(©The Times, London)
