This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/18/utrecht-shooting-tram-dutch-netherlands
The article has changed 16 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Utrecht shooting: manhunt after suspect opens fire on tram | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Dutch police say they suspect a possible terrorist motive to a shooting on a tram in the city of Utrecht that left several people injured, at least three seriously. | |
| The Netherlands’ national terror coordinator raised the alert level in Utrecht province to its maximum after the incident, which took place at about 10.45 am, saying terrorism could not be excluded. A manhunt is under way for the suspect or suspects, and local schools were ordered to keep their doors closed until further notice. | |
| The scene at a tram stop on the city’s central 24 Oktoberplein junction has been cordoned off and a police anti-terror unit and emergency services are attending, Dutch media reported. Three police helicopters were also despatched to the area. | |
| “Several shots were fired in a tram and several people were injured,” a Utrecht police spokesman, Joost Lanshage, told reporters. “Helicopters are at the scene and no arrests have been made.” | |
| A local broadcaster, RTV Utrecht, quoted a witness named as Jimmy de Koster as saying several shots had been fired. De Koster said he was on his way home from work when he saw a woman lying on the ground next to a tram, shouting: “I have done nothing.” | |
| He said he then heard three shots and saw four men “running fast towards the woman and trying to drag her away”. More gunshots followed and the men ran off, he said, adding: “It was complete and utter chaos.” | |
| Police appealed to the public to stay away from the area to allow emergency services to do their work. The Algemeen Dagblad newspaper reported that the wounded had been taken off the tram and rushed to Utrecht’s main teaching hospital, where a major incident had been declared. | |
| The paper said at least three of the victims had received emergency treatment at the scene. | |
| Dutch media quoted unnamed police sources as saying there may have been more than one gunman and that other shootings may have occurred in other areas of the city. Several men reportedly fled the scene on foot after the incident and subsequently made good their escape in a car described as a red Seat. | |
| The Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, called off a cabinet meeting when news of the incident was announced. The mayor of Utrecht, Jan van Zanen, described the incident as “awful and dramatic”, adding that his thoughts were with the victims’ relatives. | |
| More details soon … | More details soon … |
| Netherlands | Netherlands |
| Europe | Europe |
| news | news |
| Share on Facebook | Share on Facebook |
| Share on Twitter | Share on Twitter |
| Share via Email | Share via Email |
| Share on LinkedIn | Share on LinkedIn |
| Share on Pinterest | Share on Pinterest |
| Share on WhatsApp | Share on WhatsApp |
| Share on Messenger | Share on Messenger |
| Reuse this content | Reuse this content |