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Man who burned himself in Amsterdam dies

DutchAmsterdam.nl — The man who set himself alight at Dam square in the center of Amsterdam yesterday afternoon has died this morning, police say.

The 36-year-old man was an asylum seeker from Iran who had exhausted his appeals to remain in the country.

Witnesses say the man first yelled in broken Dutch at people on a nearby terrace. He then poured a flammable liquid over himself and used a lighter to set his clothes on fire.

Bystanders attempted to put out the fire. The badly wounded man was taken first to a local hospital and then to the Burns Treatment Centre in Beverwijk.

Police say they have been unable to talk with the man before he died.

Anton and Janet Hein
Publisher at DutchAmsterdam | Website |  + posts

Anton and Janet Hein live and work in Amsterdam. We are the publishers of DutchAmsterdam.

Anton was born on a houseboat in the center of Amsterdam, right across from the iconic Westertoren and what later became the Anne Frank House museum. Having lived in nearly every district since then, he knows the city like his own back pocket.

Janet was born in England and raised in Ireland before moving to Amsterdam 42 years ago. Even to date she brings an expat’s perspective to the DutchAmsterdam website.

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Last updated Sunday, September 11, 2011 CET (Central European Time)

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