At least 3 dead in shooting on Netherlands tram, suspect arrested

Police are asking the public to stay away from the area in Utrecht.

March 18, 2019, 1:39 PM

At least three people are dead and five others are wounded after a suspect opened fire on a tram Monday morning, local authorities said.

Utrecht Mayor Jan van Zanen confirmed the fatalities in a video posted to Twitter in Dutch.

The shooting occurred near the 24 Oktoberplein station in Utrecht, located about 30 miles southeast of Amsterdam in central Netherlands.

The main suspect, a 37-year-old Turkish-born man, was apprehended, the mayor and Rob van Bree of the Utrecht police said in an early evening press conference. At this time, a motive remains unknown.

A second person was also arrested they said, although that person's identity and connection to the incident is unclear.

Earlier in the day, Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg, the national coordinator for counterterrorism and security, said at a press conference that it was unclear whether other perpetrators were involved in the shooting.

Utrecht police had asked for the public's help in finding Gokman Tanis, the 37-year-old believed to be connected to the shooting.

PHOTO: Police forces walk near a tram at the 24 Oktoberplace in Utrecht, March 18, 2019, where a shooting took place.
Police forces walk near a tram at the 24 Oktoberplace in Utrecht, March 18, 2019, where a shooting took place.
Robin van Lonkhuijsen/AFP/Getty Images

The public had also been urged to stay indoors and away from the area.

On Monday morning, Utrecht police said on Twitter they were investigating a shooting, adding that a "possible terrorist motif is part of the investigation." The shooting happened around 10:50 a.m. local time.

The Dutch counterterror office raised Utrecht's threat level to maximum, according to The Associated Press.

This is a developing story. Please check back for more updates.