Source:
https://scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3002208/possible-terrorist-motive-several-injured-shooting-tram Europe
Utrecht shooting: Dutch police arrest Turkish suspect Gokmen Tanis, who was ‘previously convicted of attempted murder’
- Local media reports say 37-year-old suspect has long rap sheet and is currently defendant in a rape trial
- Witness says gunman targeted one woman on the tram in particular
A policeman stands guard near a tram where a gunman opened fire killing at least three persons and wounding several on March 18, 2019 in Utrecht. Photo: AFP/John Thys
Dutch police have arrested the man suspected of killing three people and wounding five others in a shooting on a tram in the central city of Utrecht on Monday.
It took hours to find the main suspect, identified by police as 37-year-old Turkish-born Gokmen Tanis.
Police chief Rob van Bree, speaking alongside the mayor of Utrecht at a news conference, did not comment on what may have motivated the alleged shooter.
The Dutch Interior Ministry said earlier that law enforcement was trying to determine whether there was a terrorist background to the attack or whether there was some other personal motivation.
Broadcaster NOS reported that the suspect has a long rap sheet. Among other crimes, he was convicted of attempted murder. Currently he is a defendant in a rape trial.
Utrecht police put this image of the suspect, 37-year-old Gokmen Tanis, on their Twitter page after the attack. Photo: Police Utrecht via AP
Turkish news agency Anadolu reported, citing unnamed relatives of Tanis, that he shot at a woman on the tram because of a family issue.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it condemned the attack in Utrecht, “regardless of who the perpetrator is and what the motive was”.
It added that Turkey expressed its solidarity with the Dutch people and government.
Emergency services and police at the scene. Photo: EPA
Police released few details of their hunt to find Tanis, including where and how he was apprehended. The Dutch broadcaster NOS said he was taken into custody in Utrecht.
The police said a second suspect was also arrested in connection with the crime, but it was unclear to what extent this individual had been involved.
Mayor Jan van Zanen said three of the five people wounded were in critical condition.
“Today is a black day for our city,” he said.
Police inspect a tram in Utrecht on Monday where a shooting took place. Photo: AFP/Ricardo Smit
Shots were fired in the tram on 24 Oktoberplein, a junction in the west of the city, at 10.45am.
A witness told NOS that the gunman seemed to have targeted one woman in particular. The woman had been on the ground, and people were assisting her, said Daan Molenaar.
Molenaar said that he saw an armed man running towards the group.
A forensic expert looks for clues in a house where the suspect of a shooting incident was arrested in Utrecht, Netherlands, on Monday. Photo: AP
“It looked as if he wanted to attack her again, or maybe the people who helped her,” he said.
Local authorities lifted a curfew after several hours. They had warned residents not to venture outside after the shooting.