Several injured after tram shooting in Dutch city of Utrecht
Utrecht: Dutch police are investigating a possible “terrorist motive” in a shooting in a tram in the Netherlands, which has left several people injured and, reportedly, at least one person dead.
According to early reports a man opened fire at 10.45am local time on Monday on the tram in the west of the city of Utrecht, then fled the scene by car.
Police were searching for the car from helicopters.
“A man started shooting wildly,” one eyewitness told nu.nl.
It was unclear from early reports if the shooter was inside the tram or outside at a tram stop.
A spokeswoman said police suspected there was one fatality.
"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.
AD.nl reported a woman was hit in the chest by several bullets. Two people were lying injured on the street and another in the tram.
Emergency services rushed to the scene, which was quickly cordoned off. Injured people were taken to a special emergency hospital by helicopter and motorway lanes were closed to allow ambulances access.
Utrecht police said they were investigating the shooting and “a possible terrorist motif [motive] is part of the investigation”.
A reporter for De Telegraaf reported seeing a victim on the tram track covered with a white sheet, and another being resuscitated in an ambulance.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte spoke briefly about a “worrying situation” developing in the city, and broke off from meetings to consult with a crisis team.
Witness Jimmy de Koster, who lives nearby, told De Telegraaf that he saw several shots fired and a young woman lying on the ground pleading “I have done nothing”.
“I heard ‘bang bang bang’ three times. Four men walked quickly towards her and tried to drag her away and then I heard ‘bang bang bang’ again and those guys let go of her. It was chaos.”
Schools in the area were told to keep their doors shut.
More to come