Gunman Attacks Tram Passengers in Utrecht, Dutch Police Say

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/18/world/europe/utrecht-shooting-netherlands.html

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A shooting attack on Monday in the Dutch city of Utrecht that left several people injured was being investigated as a possible case of terrorism, the authorities said.

Trauma helicopters have been sent to the scene, the Utrecht police said on Twitter, and trams in the city have been shut down while the authorities investigate the attack.

Local media reported that a gunman had fled the scene after the attack, which took place around 10:45 a.m., and might have escaped in a car.

The University Medical Center Utrecht opened a specialized disaster unit in response to the shooting.

Mark Rutte, the prime minister of the Netherlands, interrupted a weekly cabinet meeting to monitor the situation, several news organizations reported.

The authorities were urging people to avoid the area to allow aid workers to reach the site of the attack at October 24 Square.

Utrecht, about 25 miles southeast of Amsterdam, has a population of about 330,000.

Jimmy de Koster told the television station RTV Utrecht that he was at the square, heard gunfire and saw a young woman, apparently wounded, lying on the ground.

“Four men walked very fast toward her and tried to drag her away,” he said. More shots were then fired, he said.