The attack happened in the heart of The Hague shopping district where supermarket chains and luxury shops were all lit up with early Christmas decorations.

In a statement, the police also said they were looking for a man, about 45 to 50 years old, in a grey jogging suit.

Police spokeswoman Marije Kuiper told the Associated Press that it was not clear if the stabbing was a terror incident.

Kuiper said it was unclear whether any of the injuries were life-threatening.

The Netherlands had already been shocked by a similar stabbing in Amsterdam a year ago when two Americans were injured in a knife attack that prosecutors say had a "terrorist motive".

Friday's attack comes hours after British police shot dead a man who strapped a fake bomb to his body and stabbed a number of people in a "terrorism incident" in London.