Strasbourg, FRANCE (BNO NEWS) – The European Parliament, the European Union’s parliamentary institution, has expressed its sympathy after a failed attempt to attack the Dutch royal family on Thursday.

A letter was sent by president Hans-Gert Pöttering to Queen Beatrix late on Thursday evening, a spokesman told BNO News. Pöttering expressed “his shock” to the news that a man crashed his car through fences at a Queens Day parade in the Dutch city of Apeldoorn. The attack, which authorities say was directly targeted at the royal family, killed five bystanders when the car struck a crowd of people. Another 12 people were injured, with several of them still in critical condition.

Pöttering conveyed his sympathy and solidarity to Queen Beatrix and the Netherlands on behalf of the parliament. A statement from the institution was expected on Friday.