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Utrecht shooting: what we know so far

An attack on a tram in the Netherlands left at least three people dead and five wounded. Dutch police have now arrested a suspect.

AP Photo/Peter Dejong
AP Photo/Peter Dejong
Ambulances next to a tram after a shooting in Utrecht, Netherlands, on Monday, March 18, 2019.
AP Photo/Peter Dejong

As of Tuesday morning, this article is no longer being updated.

At least three people are dead and five injured after a shooting on a tram in the Dutch city of Utrecht on Monday, in what police are investigating as a possible terrorist attack.

Authorities have arrested one suspect, 37-year-old Gökmen Tanis, whom they believe to be “associated with the incident” in Utrecht.

Utrecht Mayor Jan van Zanen said Monday that “likely there is one attacker, but there could be more.”

Here’s what we know so far.

What we know

  • The attack unfolded at approximately 10:45 am local time in Utrecht, Netherlands, on a tram near the October 24 Square.
  • At least three people have died and five — including three with severe injuries — were hurt after a shooter opened fire, Utrecht police confirmed.
  • Police identified the victims as a 19-year-old woman and two men, ages 28 and 49.
  • The gunman fled the area after the attack, and police are investigating whether the suspect had accomplices, said Dutch police spokesperson Joost Lanshage, according to the Wall Street Journal.
  • Utrecht police said they are investigating the shooting as a possible terrorist attack. Officials in the Netherlands raised the threat level in Utrecht to its highest classification on Monday for the first time ever in the wake of the shooting, according to the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf.
  • Police arrested the chief suspect in the attack about eight hours after the shooting. Police identified the individual as Gökman Tanis, who is a 37-year-old Turkish-born man.
  • Police have not ruled out terrorism as a motive, but the New York Times reports that officials are also investigating the possibility that the attack may have been motivated by a personal dispute. Still, Utrecht police said Tuesday they have not yet found “any direct relations” between the victims and the main suspect.

What we don’t know

  • The motive of the attack
  • Whether there are other suspects involved
  • The names of the victims
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