CCTV captures 'gunman' sitting on Dutch tram moments before 'terrorist-motivated' shooting spree left one person dead and several others wounded - as police warn public not to approach suspect
- Police release photo of Gökman Tanis, 37, captured on the tram's CCTV just minutes before the shooting
- One person has died and a number of people injured in a shooting in Utrecht, central Netherlands
- One or several gunmen, 'who may have had a terrorist motive', opened fire on a tram in the city centre
- The assailant or assailants fled the scene and police have since surrounded a building in the city
- Dutch government has raised terrorism threat level to highest possible, and schools are on lockdown
Dutch
police have named a suspect in the 'terrorist motivated' shooting on a
tram in Utrecht, which resulted in the death of at least one person and
left several others injured, as a 37-year-old Turkish-born man.
Police
tweeted a photograph of Gökman Tanis, believed to have been captured on
the tram's CCTV just minutes before the incident at 10.45am this
morning, and urged the public to 'look out for him but do not
approach.'
The gunman, who may not
have been acting alone, fled the scene, reportedly in a red Renault Clio
compact sedan, which has since been found abandoned in Utrecht.
The
photograph was released as heavily armed police gathered in front of an
apartment block some 200 yards from the scene the shooting, where the
suspected gunman is believed to be holed up. Police said they were
searching for the shooter 'with all possible means.'
Shortly
after 12.30pm local time, the Dutch government raised the terrorism
threat level to the highest possible in the province of Utrecht.
This photo, released by Utrecht
police, shows Turkish-born Gökman Tanis, 37, on the tram's CCTV just
minutes before the shooting began at 10.45am this morning
Video footage shows police surrounding an apartment block in Utrecht a few hours after the shooting took place
Incident: Emergency services
have cordoned off a tram in Utrecht, Holland, where one or several
assailants opened fire on commuters at around 10.45 local time today
Video footage from Utrecht shows
armed anti-terrorism police surrounding a building where the gunman, or
potentially several gunmen, is believed to be located
Several photographs show armed police officers surrounding a building in Utrecht just hours after the assailant fled the scene
A photo shared on social media shows an armed policeman surrounding a building in Utrecht during the manhunt
Special Police Forces inspect the tram where the shooting took place earlier on Monday as the perpetrator remains at large
At least one person died and a number of people were injured in the shooting on a tram in Utrecht, The Netherlands
The
head of the Dutch counter-terrorism agency Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg said
in a statement that the 'threat level has gone to 5, exclusively for
the Utrecht province,' referring to the highest level, adding that the
shooting 'appears to be a terrorist attack'.
'The
culprit is still on the run. A terror motive cannot be excluded,' he
said in a Twitter message. He called on citizens to closely follow the
indications of the local police.
Utrecht University has put the entire campus on lockdown, and according to Dutch news website NOS News, all train traffic to Utrecht Central has stopped.
Police have also instructed all
schools, as well as mosques and transportation hubs, in the city to keep
their doors closed, while the manhunt continues.
Dutch
military police have been ordered to be on 'extra alert' at Dutch
airports and 'vital buildings' due to the ongoing police manhunt.
Police
spokesman Bernhard Jens said no one had been detained yet in the
shooting, and one possible 'explanation is that the person fled by
car.'
He did not rule out the possibility that more than one shooter was involved in the attack.
'We want to try to catch the person responsible as soon as possible,' Jens said.
Video footage filmed just hours
after the shooting shows heavily armed anti-terror officers in front of
an apartment block some 200 yards from the scene the shooting
Dozens of heavily armed police officers were seen near the building, but there has been no official reports of an arrest
Dutch police said they are searching for the shooter 'with all possible means', and have not ruled out multiple assailants
All tram traffic in the city has been shut down in the wake of the shooting on a tram, pictured, this morning
Emergency services stand at the 24 Oktoberplein in Utrecht, the Netherlands, where the shooting took place
Police could me seen amassing some 200 yards from the site of a shooting in Utrecht, Netherlands
The
first casualty was reported by the Dutch ANP news agency, which stated
that the victim was completely covered with a sheet and lying on the
tracks between two carriages.
The
Utrecht police said a square at a tram station outside the city centre
had been cordoned off as emergency services attend the scene.
Officials
added that trauma helicopters were sent to the incident at 24
Oktoberplein, and they are appealing to the public to stay away to allow
first responders to do their work.
They had no further details about the incident and could not say how badly hurt the victims were, or how many had been injured.
'Several
shots were fired in a tram and several people were injured. Helicopters
are at the scene and no arrests have been made,' said police spokesman
Joost Lanshage.
Armed police at the scene where a shooting took place, as police say they are considering a terrorist motive
Ambulances are seen next to the tram where the shooting took place on Monday morning, at around 10.45am local time
The Dutch anti-terror
coordinator has raised the threat alert to its highest level around the
central Dutch town of Utrecht following the shooting incident on a tram
in the city, with the shooter still on the run
Dutch
media quoted an eyewitness as saying he had seen a woman lying on the
ground amid some kind of confrontation. Several men ran away from the
scene, the witness said.
Local resident Jimmy De Koster witnessed the incident and told De Telegraaf:
'I was standing at the traffic lights on 24 Oktoberplein and I saw a
woman lying down, I think she would have been between 20 and 35 years
old.
'She shouted 'I didn't do anything'.'
Dutch
Prime Minister Mark Rutte called the situation 'very worrying' and the
country's counterterror coordinator said in a tweet that a crisis team
was meeting to discuss the situation.
Utrecht is located about 25 miles south of Amsterdam in central Holland.
Dutch
military police have been put on extra alert at Dutch airports and at
key buildings across the country, including in Amsterdam and The Hague,
as the Utrecht manhunt is taking place.
Emergency services attend the scene of a shooting in Utrecht, where at least one person is reported to have died
Police forces and emergency
services stand at the 24 Oktoberplein as local media reported that
counter-terrorism police was present at the scene
Members of the military police
arrive to heighten security around the Binnenhof in The Hague, as
security was increased at key sites across The Netherlands in the wake
of the shooting
German police say they have upped
surveillance on the country's border with the Netherlands and are on the
lookout for the gunman believed to be responsible for the Utrecht
shooting.
Heinrich Onstein, a spokesman
for the federal police in the border state of North Rhine-Westphalia,
said additional police had been added to watch not only major highways,
but also minor crossings as well as railway routes.
He says the federal police are in close contact with authorities in the Netherlands and have a description of the suspect.
British
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt tweeted his concern in the wake of the
incident, saying the UK 'stands with the people of the Netherlands'.
'Hugely
concerning news of a gunman opening fire on a tram in Utrecht, no doubt
with innocent people just getting on with their day,' Mr Hunt wrote.
'We
are in contact with Dutch authorities, urgently seeking further
information. The UK stands with the people of the Netherlands '
