The man accused of stabbing a man to death on the Erasmus bridge in Rotterdam seriously wounded his mother in a knife attack two years ago, Dutch media report.

Ayoub M., 22, is due to appear in court for a remand hearing on Monday after being arrested at the scene of last Thursday night’s incident.

Prosecutors say he may have had a terrorist motive because he was heard to shout “Allah Akhbar” several times as he wielded the knife, but other explanations have not been ruled out.

AD.nl said M. had attacked his mother in Nijkerk, Gelderland, two and a half years ago, leaving her with serious injuries to her hands and neck.

M., from Amersfoort, also trashed a police station and assaulted a civilian enforcement officer in the days before he stabbed his mother. He was reportedly ordered by a court to undergo medical treatment, but the details are unknown.

It also emerged his 32-year-old victim on Thursday was a German man, Philipp Winter, who had moved to Rotterdam six months earlier to pursue his dream job. He was skating on the bridge when he was confronted by M.

Winter had posted a message on LinkedIn saying “Goodbye Hamburg, hello Rotterdam!” after he was recruited by landscaping company Defacto Urbanism, saying he was looking forward to “new people, new ideas, new projects”.

A 33-year-old Swiss national who was also wounded in the attack was released from hospital on Sunday after being treated for his injuries.