Dutch authorities seize Turkish-born suspect in the Utrecht tram shooting
The Utrecht police seized a 37-year-old Turkish-born suspect in Monday's shooting attack that killed 3; Dutch justice minister: the suspect had a criminal record, too early to say whether he had a terror motive
After an extensive manhunt, Dutch police arrested a suspect in the Monday morning tram shooting attack in Utrecht, that killed three people and wounded five.
The 37-year-old Turkish-born suspect Gokmen Tanis had a criminal record, said Dutch justice minister Ferd Grapperhaus. However, the minister added it was too early to say whether the attack suspect had a terror motive.
Authorities immediately raised the terror alert for the area to the maximum level and said they were considering the possibility of a "terrorist motive" in the attack. Dutch military police went on extra alert at airports and at key buildings in the country as the manhunt in Utrecht took place.
Utrecht Mayor Jan van Zanen said that a "terror motive" was the most plausible reason behind the deadly attack.
A few hours after the shooting, Utrecht police released a photo of a 37-year-old man born in Turkey who they said was "associated with the incident." The photo showed a bearded man on board a tram, dressed in a dark blue hooded top.
Police warned citizens not to approach the man, whom they identified as Gokman Tanis, but call the authorities instead.
Police, including heavily armed officers, flooded the area after the shooting Monday morning on a tram at a busy traffic intersection in a residential neighborhood. They later erected a white tent over an area where a body appeared to be lying next to the tram. Authorities didn't say exactly how many people were injured.
Utrecht police said trauma helicopters were sent to the scene and appealed to the public to stay away. Heavily armed anti-terror officers gathered in front of an apartment block close to the scene.
"Our nation was hit by an attack in Utrecht," Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said. He said that "a terror motive is not excluded.
Rutte said that, throughout the country, "there is a mix of disbelief and disgust."
"If it is a terror attack then we have only one answer: our nation, democracy must be stronger that fanaticism and violence," he added.
Police spokesman Bernhard Jens said one possibility "is that the person fled by car." He did not rule out the possibility that more than one shooter was involved.
The Netherlands' anti-terror coordinator raised the threat alert to its highest level around Utrecht, a city of nearly 350,000 people. Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg said the "threat level has gone to 5, exclusively for the Utrecht province."
Dutch political parties halted campaigning ahead of provincial elections scheduled for Wednesday that will also determine the makeup of the Dutch parliament's upper house.
German authorities were initially told to look out for a red Renault Clio compact sedan, but were later informed it had been found abandoned in Utrecht, Onstein said.
