3 killed\, nine injured in Netherlands tram shooting

3 killed, nine injured in Netherlands tram shooting

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AMN

Three people were killed and nine others injured following a shooting on a tram in the Dutch city of Utrecht.  Dutch authorities have raised the threat level to its highest, and Prime Minister Mark Rutte said all efforts were focusing on the “suspect or suspects” responsible.

Schools have closed and security has been increased while counter-terrorism police work to find the gunman.

Police have asked people to stay away from the area and schools to keep their doors closed.

The head of the Dutch national counter-terrorism service, Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg, confirmed “the arrest of the main suspect for the shooting”. He said authorities had lowered the threat level in Utrecht from the maximum level five as a result of the arrest.

 

A few hours after the shooting, Utrecht police released a photo of the 37-year-old man born in Turkey who they said was “associated with the incident.” The photo showed a bearded man on board a tram, dressed in a dark blue hooded top.

The Utrecht attack came three days after 50 people were killed when an immigrant-hating white nationalist opened fire at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand during Friday prayers. There was no immediate indication of any link between the two events.

Police, including heavily armed officers, flooded the area after the shooting Monday morning on a tram at a busy traffic intersection in a residential neighborhood.

They later erected a white tent over an area where a body appeared to be lying next to the tram. Utrecht police said trauma helicopters were sent to the scene and appealed to the public to stay away.

Heavily armed anti-terror officers gathered in front of an apartment building close to the scene. A sniffer dogs wearing a tactical vest with a camera mounted on it was also seen outside the building.

Mayor Jan van Zanen confirmed three deaths and said that nine people were wounded, three of them seriously. “We cannot exclude, even stronger, we assume a terror motive. Likely there is one attacker, but there could be more,” van Zanen said.