Three dead, nine injured in Utrecht shooting
Authorities say several people have been injured and
three were killed in a shooting on a tram in Utrecht. The terror threat
level around the Dutch city has been raised to maximum as police hunt
for the suspected gunman.
A gunman opened fire on a tram in the central Dutch city of Utrecht
on Monday, killing at least three people and wounding nine, said city
Mayor Jan van Zanen.
"At this stage, we can confirm three deaths and nine wounded, three of them seriously," van Zanen said in a video message on Twitter. He added that a "terror motive" was the most plausible reason for the attack.
Police said they had launched a manhunt for the attacker and were investigating the shooting as a possible terrorist incident.
"Multiple people have been injured," Utrecht police said on Twitter. "It is a shooting incident in a tram. Several trauma helicopters have been deployed to provide help."
The head of the Dutch national counterterrorism service, Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg, told a press conference that gunfire had erupted "at several locations," and that "a major police operation" was underway to arrest the gunman.
He added that the terrorism threat level had been raised to the maximum of five in the province of Utrecht, but did not comment on the number of injured or what condition the victims were in.
Utrecht
police released a photo of the suspect later on Monday, naming him as
Gökmen Tanis, a 37-year-old native of Turkey. They warned the public not
to approach him, but to call the authorities if they saw him:
Police have not ruled out the possibility that more than one shooter was involved in the attack.
PM Rutte: 'We will never give in'
Following the initial reports of the incident, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said he was "deeply concerned" and had called a crisis meeting.
At a press conference later in the day, Rutte said his thoughts were with the victims and their families who had "their worlds turned upside down".
"An act of terror is an attack on our civilization, on our tolerant and open society. If this was indeed an act of terror, there can only be one answer, and the answer is the rule of law. Our democracy is stronger than fanaticism and violence. We will never give into intolerance, never."
Utrecht on lockdown
Schools were told to shut their doors, while paramilitary police boosted security at airports and other key buildings. Utrecht City Council warned residents to stay indoors.
In neighboring Germany, meanwhile, police were carrying out checks on trains from the Netherlands and manning highways as well as minor border crossings. "We ramped up our search efforts after we were informed (about the shooting)," a police spokesman told German news agency DPA.
The incident took place in western Utrecht at the 24 Oktoberplein tram stop at about 10:45 a.m. (0945 UTC). Heavily armed officers flooded the area, while emergency services cordoned off streets around the busy intersection and urged the public to steer clear.
Witnesses reported seeing a man flee the scene in a car. Local broadcaster RTV Utrecht quoted a witness as saying he had seen a woman lying on the ground and several men running from the tram.
Utrecht, the Netherlands' fourth largest city, has a large student population and is known for its picturesque canals.
"At this stage, we can confirm three deaths and nine wounded, three of them seriously," van Zanen said in a video message on Twitter. He added that a "terror motive" was the most plausible reason for the attack.
Police said they had launched a manhunt for the attacker and were investigating the shooting as a possible terrorist incident.
"Multiple people have been injured," Utrecht police said on Twitter. "It is a shooting incident in a tram. Several trauma helicopters have been deployed to provide help."
The head of the Dutch national counterterrorism service, Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg, told a press conference that gunfire had erupted "at several locations," and that "a major police operation" was underway to arrest the gunman.
He added that the terrorism threat level had been raised to the maximum of five in the province of Utrecht, but did not comment on the number of injured or what condition the victims were in.
PM Rutte: 'We will never give in'
Following the initial reports of the incident, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said he was "deeply concerned" and had called a crisis meeting.
At a press conference later in the day, Rutte said his thoughts were with the victims and their families who had "their worlds turned upside down".
"An act of terror is an attack on our civilization, on our tolerant and open society. If this was indeed an act of terror, there can only be one answer, and the answer is the rule of law. Our democracy is stronger than fanaticism and violence. We will never give into intolerance, never."
Utrecht on lockdown
Schools were told to shut their doors, while paramilitary police boosted security at airports and other key buildings. Utrecht City Council warned residents to stay indoors.
In neighboring Germany, meanwhile, police were carrying out checks on trains from the Netherlands and manning highways as well as minor border crossings. "We ramped up our search efforts after we were informed (about the shooting)," a police spokesman told German news agency DPA.
The incident took place in western Utrecht at the 24 Oktoberplein tram stop at about 10:45 a.m. (0945 UTC). Heavily armed officers flooded the area, while emergency services cordoned off streets around the busy intersection and urged the public to steer clear.
Witnesses reported seeing a man flee the scene in a car. Local broadcaster RTV Utrecht quoted a witness as saying he had seen a woman lying on the ground and several men running from the tram.
