Utrecht tram shooting: Gunman who killed three arrested, had criminal record

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said that “a terror motive is not excluded” and that the attack was met throughout the country with “a mix of disbelief and disgust.'” “If it is a terror attack, then we have only one answer: Our nation, democracy, must be stronger that fanaticism and violence,” he added.

The shooting comes three days after 50 people were killed in a terrorist attack in New Zealand’s Christchurch when a White supremacist indiscriminately opened fire at devotees during Friday prayers. There was no immediate indication of any link between the two events.

Identifying the suspect as 37-year-old Gökmen Tanis, a resident of Turkey, police said the gunman is still at large, prompting authorities to raise the terrorist threat to its highest level the province. The photo showed a bearded man aboard a tram in a blue hooded top.

The shooting took place at a busy intersection in a residential neighborhood. According to Dutch police, the incident in Utrecht took place at around 10.45 am. “Several shots were fired in a tram and several people were injured. Helicopters are at the scene and no arrests have been made,” police spokesman Joost Lanshage was quoted as saying by Reuters. An eyewitness told local broadcaster RTV Utrecht that he had seen a woman lying on the ground amid some kind of confrontation. Several men ran away from the scene, the witness added.

Political parties halted campaigning ahead of provincial elections scheduled for Wednesday that will also determine the makeup of Parliament’s upper house.

In neighboring Germany, police said they stepped up surveillance of the Dutch border, watching not only major highways but also minor crossings and train routes.

German authorities said they were initially told to look out for a red Renault Clio compact car but were later informed it had been found abandoned in Utrecht.

(Inputs from AP)

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