Dutch police are searching for a motive after five people, including two Americans, were stabbed in a busy shopping area of Amsterdam on Thursday afternoon.

Five people, including two Americans, were injured in a stabbing spree in the Dutch capital of Amsterdam, authorities said.

Five people were injured, including two Americans, in a "serious" stabbing attack that occurred in broad daylight in Amsterdam's city center on Thursday, police said. The suspected assailant is in custody and a motive remains under investigation into what authorities are considering might have been a random attack, police said.