Four young men have been arrested in Germany in connection with the death of Somali asylum seeker Abdi Raage in the Netherlands last month. The 23-year-old died after being attacked on the street in Den Haag.
On Tuesday (August 6), four men who all live in Germany were arrested, according to Dutch right-leaning newspaper De Telegraaf.
The men, reportedly aged 19, 21 and 23, are the subject of an extradition request from the Dutch public prosecution service, the online English language news portal Dutch News reported.
They are suspected of having been involved in an attack on Abdi Raage, an asylum seeker living in the Netherlands. He was reportedly attacked on July 21 next to the Dutch parliament, and died later of his injuries in hospital.
An eyewitness reportedly told De Telegraaf that the attackers had been "speaking German."
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'Beaten to death'
Another Dutch newspaper, NL Times, reported in July that Abdi Raage was "beaten to death". The young Somali national had been living in an asylum seeker center in Heerhugowaard.
Initial reports in July suggested the police were looking for a total of eight men suspected of being involved in the fatal assault.
The attack was reported to emergency services early on July 21, according to NL Times. When first responders arrived at the scene, they found the victim in a "critically injured" state.
The suspected attackers were described by police as having "light complexions" and being between the ages of 18 and 35 years old. Police said they believed that the victim and a friend had been walking along a street before getting into an argument with the suspects.
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Attack took place in busy inner city
NL Times reports that the attack took place "in full view of various bustling catering establishments."
In late July, police said they were still trying to piece together what had led to the attack, including how the argument started and who used what violence, reported RTL Nieuws.
According to a spokesperson for the Dutch asylum service (COA), Abdi Raage had been at the asylum center in Heerhugowaard since January. "He previously stayed at other COA locations and had been in the Netherlands for about three years. Many people in and outside the asylum center are shocked. He also had friends and acquaintances outside the asylum center."
The COA said it had been in contact with the young man's family in Somalia, but admitted that "communication is not easy." Authorities at the COA told NL Times they hoped to hold a memorial service for Abdi, but it was not yet clear where or when.
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Arrests in German city of Remscheid
The four suspects were arrested in Remscheid, a German city near the Netherlands border. According to the Remscheider General Anzeiger (RGA), heavily-armed police stormed several residences to arrest the men.
German state prosecution services said that they had been asked to help the Dutch police and had received a request for extradition. The International Legal Help center in Den Haag IRC is leading the investigations between the two countries.
European arrest warrants have been issued for the four men, who are suspected of grievous bodily harm causing death. Police said they believed videos were taken of the attack on Abdi with the perpetrators' mobile phones, but the filmed material had not yet been found, reported RGA.
Further details about the circumstances of Abdi Raage's death have not been made public.