At least three people died and five were injured as a result of the shooting, which an unknown person discovered in a tram in the Dutch city of Utrecht. Information about the incident arrived in the police on the morning of Monday, March 18, at about 10:45 local time (12:45 Moscow time).
Initially, three dead and nine wounded were reported, but later the law enforcement agencies corrected the available data. At the same time, they refrained from further comments on the severity of injuries of the victims.
Dutch police distributed a photo of Gokmen Tanis, 37, a native of Turkey, who is wanted in connection with the incident.
It is not yet known whether he was a shooter, but the security forces are asking citizens not to approach this person and report on his whereabouts.
De politie vraagt u u te te kijken naar de 37 jarige Gökman Tanis (geboren in Turkije) in verband met het incident vanmorgen aan het # 24oktoberplein in Utrecht.
Benader hem niet zelf maar bel direct de opsporingstiplijn 0800-6070 pic.twitter.com/QZ88s3Wl0k
The shooting took place at the intersection of Beneluxlaan Avenue and 24 Oktoberplein Square in the center of Utrecht, after which the attacker disappeared in an unknown direction. Emergency services arrived at the scene, all the victims were hospitalized in local hospitals.
Later, the coordinator for the fight against terrorism and the security of the Netherlands, Peter-Yap Albersberg, during a special press conference reported that shooting incidents were reported in several districts of Utrecht. Residents of the city recommended not to go out into the streets.
In addition, the level of terrorist threat in the province of Utrecht was raised to the highest, fifth level. The police do not exclude that the crime was a terrorist attack.
“Our priority is to detect the attack organizer. It is possible that the crime was of a terrorist nature, but much still remains unclear. Law enforcement agencies are conducting a complex search operation for a suspect. We ask citizens to remain vigilant and follow the recommendations of local authorities, ”said Albersberg.
Later, the city council of Utrecht withdrew the request to the residents not to leave their homes, since fears that the shooting took place in several districts of the city were refuted.
According to unconfirmed information from the online publication Karar, the wanted Gokmen Tanis is a native of the Turkish city of Yozgat. It is noted that several years ago he was detained on suspicion of involvement in relations with the Islamic State terrorist group *, but then released.
"He was not very connected with the Turkish community, he was rather a hermit," said the source of the publication in Utrecht.
Meanwhile, the Turkish agency Anadolu reports that the shooter could have opened fire on the tram "due to family problems."
"According to relatives of the suspect in the attack in Utrecht Gokmen Tanysh, he shot one of his relatives in the tram for" family reasons "and then opened fire on those who tried to help him," the text said.
After the shooting incident, law enforcement agencies tightened security measures at key infrastructure facilities, including airports, schools and mosques. In turn, the German authorities have strengthened control on the border with the Netherlands, reports TASS, citing a police representative.
“We exchange information with colleagues in the Netherlands, as well as with the police of the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. We have strengthened control in the area of the cities of Kleve and Aachen, ”the agency’s interlocutor said.
Readiness to assist the Netherlands, if necessary, was reported by the Belgian authorities. According to the Acting Prime Minister Charles Michel, the Belgian intelligence services are closely monitoring the situation in Utrecht.
* “Islamic State” (IG) - the organization is recognized as terrorist by the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation dated December 29, 2014.