Terrorist attack in Utrecht in The Netherlands

sitting in a restaurant in Utrecht waiting for the train to go back to Belgium after a citytrip to see the Carravagio exposition. It Seems there has been a terrorist attack on a tram. We can't go out because the police is searching the streets. Drones and helicopters are in the air. All we CAN do is wait. Strange situation, waiting and not knowing what is going to happen.

At least I have this I pad and can read Sott and the Forum
 
From Dutch news:

Three people were killed and nine seriously injured in the shooting, the mayor of Utrecht says on Twitter. The police take into account a terrorist motive. The highest threat level has been announced for the province, it lasts in any case until 6 p.m. In connection with the shooting, the anti-terrorism service also convened a crisis meeting.
The police have issued a warrant for Gökman Tanis, a 37-year-old man born in Turkey. Police: "Do not approach him yourself, but call the investigation line". The police have also distributed a photo of him. Nothing is yet known about Tanis' background. The police do not exclude that there are more offenders, but still speaks of one offender.
Dutch Prime Minister Rutte described the shooting incident in Utrecht as "an attack". At the same time, it is not yet certain that there has been a terrorist attack, but a terrorist motive is not excluded.
Rutte: "We will do everything we can to catch the perpetrator". If there is terror here, our rule of law and our democracy will be stronger than violence, we will not give way to intolerance. "

Stay safe Maxtree!
 
Dutch security forces were hunting for a 37-year-old Turkish man suspected of having shot several people, one of them possibly fatally, on a tram in the city of Utrecht on Monday, in what authorities said appeared to be a terrorist attack.

Dutch police hunt for Turkish man after tram shooting
The site of a shooting is pictured in Utrecht, Netherlands, March 18, 2019. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw

Authorities raised the terrorism threat to its highest level in Utrecht province,
schools were told to shut their doors and paramilitary police increased security at airports and other vital infrastructure, and also at mosques.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte convened crisis talks, saying he was deeply concerned about the incident, which came three days after a lone gunman killed 50 people in mass shootings at two mosques in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand.

“The police asks you to watch out for 37-year-old Gokman Tanis (born in Turkey) in connection with this morning’s incident,” Dutch police said in a statement.

They issued an image of the man and warned the public not to approach him. They gave no further details.

Earlier, the head of Dutch counter-terrorism said shots had been fired at several locations, without elaborating. Counter-terrorism units surrounded a house in Utrecht, Dutch television showed, but no one appeared to have been arrested.

“A lot is still unclear at this point and local authorities are working hard to establish all the facts. What we already know is that a culprit is at large,” Counter-Terrorism Agency head Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg told a news conference.

Aalbersberg, who said the shooting “appears to be a terrorist attack”, declined to comment on the number of injured or on their condition and did not confirm any deaths.

Local broadcaster RTV Utrecht quoted a witness of the tram incident as saying he had seen a woman lying on the ground amid some kind of confrontation and several men running away from the scene.

A reporter for Dutch broadcaster NOS said a white sheet had been placed over a body near the tram where the shooting had taken place.

Utrecht, the Netherlands’ fourth largest city with a population of around 340,000, is known for its picturesque canals and large student population. Gun killings are rare in Utrecht, as elsewhere in the Netherlands.

Police said the tram station stop in a square outside the city center had been cordoned off. Emergency services were at the scene.

Slideshow (14 Images)
Dutch police hunt for Turkish man after tram shooting

Dutch counter-terrorism agency: Utrecht shooter remains at large
Police are seen after a shooting in Utrecht, Netherlands, March 18, 2019. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw

A suspect who shot several people on a tram in the central Dutch city of Utrecht on Monday, one of them believed to be fatally, remains at large, the head of the counter-terrorism agency said.

Three dead, nine injured in Utrecht shooting: mayor
Police are seen after a shooting in Utrecht, Netherlands, March 18, 2019. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw

Three people were killed and nine others injured in a shooting in a tram in the central Dutch city of Utrecht, the mayor said, Dutch broadcaster NOS reported. Police said they were looking for a 37-year-old man of Turkish origin identified as Gokmen Tanis.

Dutch police hunt for Turkish man after tram shooting
Handout still image taken from CCTV footage shows a man who has been named as a suspect in Monday's shooting in Utrecht, Netherlands, in a still image from CCTV footage released by the Utrecht Police on March 18, 2019   REUTERS/Utrecht Police/Handout via Reuters

Handout still image taken from CCTV footage shows a man who has been named as a suspect in Monday's shooting in Utrecht, Netherlands, in a still image from CCTV footage released by the Utrecht Police on March 18, 2019 REUTERS/Utrecht Police/Handout
 
It looks like this shooter has a history of violence:

The lawyer for the man who was on trial on March 4 this year on suspicion of rape said he would not comment. The name of the suspect, just like his age, corresponds to the man who is now being sought, but she does not want to answer the question to the lawyer whether it is the same person. The Public Prosecution Service also abstains from commenting.
 
Overview of Dutch sources in English:

At least three killed and five injured in Utrecht shooting, mayor says - DutchNews.nl
Utrecht shooting: Rutte urges Netherlands to stand up to 'attack on our society' - DutchNews.nl
Main suspect in Utrecht shooting arrested, questions remain about motive - DutchNews.nl

Terrorism possible motive in Utrecht tram shooting; Several hurt
Dutch PM "very concerned" by possible terrorist attack in Utrecht
Authorities hunting one suspect after possible terrorist attack in Utrecht; Residents told to stay inside
Tram doors wouldn't open after Utrecht shooting, witness says
Suspect ID'd in Utrecht shooting; Terrorism investigation underway
Country "startled" by attack says Dutch PM; Juncker: "EU stands side by side" with NL
3 Dead, 9 injured in Utrecht attack after carjacking: Police; Woman targeted says witness
Suspect arrested in Utrecht mass shooting; Threat level reduced

According to Geenstijl-weblog the attacker was a revolving door petty criminal (seven convictions in seven years) and well known to the police and other authorities. The main victim is said to be a sister-in-law of the perpetrator and the motive is supposed to be relational and an honor killing. The attacker is characterized as mentally limited and as a simpleton.

There's also speculation about a possible connection to the provincial elections due on coming Wednesday, March 20th.

Sources (update stream with extra sources and links; Dutch only):

meerdere-gewonden-bij-schietpartij-utrecht/
live-persco-nctv-over-schietpartij-utrecht/
030-verdachte-gokmen-tanis-is-haatdemocraat/
rutte-heeft-weer-turkse-hulp-op-twee-dagen-voor-de-verkiezingen/
 
From what I can gather the perpetrator did not act alone. Someone appeared to be waiting for him in car while the attack was going on, according to a witness.


The Dutch daily Het Parool wrote that the police asked the public not to publish any footage on social media: OM houdt 'ernstig rekening' met terroristisch motief - Binnenland - PAROOL and instead upload videos via a special link.

The article also mentioned that three suspects have been detained.
18 maart 2019, 23:09
Derde verdachte aangehouden

In de loop van maandagavond is een derde verdachte aangehouden. Het is niet duidelijk op welke wijze deze persoon betrokken is bij de aanslag. Dat heeft de politie bekend gemaakt in het tv-programma Pauw & Jinek.
 
The Dutch are stating that the victims were not related to the suspect shooter, yet Turkey claims the shooter fired at his relative over "family reasons" ?


Dutch prosecutors on Tuesday said they have so far been unable to find any link between a man suspected of shooting three people dead in Utrecht and the victims.

March 19, 2019 - Dutch prosecutors: no link between suspect, victims in Utrecht shooting


In a statement, regional prosecutors said they continue to seriously consider a terrorist motive as possible in the shooting which took place on a tram on Monday morning.

March 19, 2019 - Dutch prosecutors investigate terrorist motive in Utrecht shooting
Children place flowers at the site of a shooting in Utrecht, the Netherlands March 19, 2019. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw
Children place flowers at the site of a shooting in Utrecht, the Netherlands March 19, 2019. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw

Dutch prosecutors on Tuesday said they were investigating a possible terrorist motive behind the shooting on a tram in the city of Utrecht in which three people were killed and five wounded.

Prosecutors said they had so far not been able to establish a connection between the victims and the suspected gunman.

Slideshow (9 Images)

Dutch prosecutors investigate terrorist motive in Utrecht shooting

March 18, 2019 - Turkey investigating if Utrecht attack was personal or terrorism
The Turkish intelligence agency is investigating whether Monday's attack in the Dutch city of Utrecht was personally motivated or an act of terrorism, President Tayyip Erdogan said in a televised interview.

March 18, 2019 - Utrecht attacker fired at relative over 'family reasons': Anadolu, citing relatives
The gunman involved in a shooting on a tram in the Dutch city of Utrecht fired at his relative over "family reasons" and later shot at others trying to help, Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency said on Monday, citing the gunman's relatives.

March 18, 2019 - Shooting in Utrecht 'appears to be terrorist attack': NOS citing counter-terrorism agency

A shooting in the Dutch city of Utrecht "appears to be a terrorist attack", the head of the country's counter-terrorism agency said on Monday.
 
It's possible that the authorities want to maximize the possible terrorism option because of the provincial elections tomorrow in order to influence the voters with the greatest amount of uncertainty attainable. Usually the voters tend to rally behind the governing parties in such circumstances and those parties are set to lose their majority in the Upper Chamber (Eerste Kamer) according to the latest polls.

I visited my GP today and overheard a conversation in the waiting room between two women from Suriname who said and I quote: "One cannot feel safe anymore anywhere." So the tension is mounting apparently and the strategy seems to be working.

Here is the original Anadolu Agency message:

 
I agree, the strategy seems to be working and people are becoming increasingly scared and paranoid (with the attack taking place just a few days after the New Zealand attack). In the beginning of the year a SWAT team was called to a train in Zwolle, because someone reported that a passenger had said something about an 'explosive'. Nothing was found, but some passengers had to leave the train with their hands in the air. Then one hour later they evacuated the station, because two people were reported smoking in the toilet of a train. It's a perfect example of priming and flipping the paranoia switch OSIT: Priming: Arrestatieteam bij station Zwolle toont spierballen -- Sott.net
 
I think it is interesting that the right-wing political party Forum voor Democratie has made major gains. An unexpected outcome of the attack? More vitriol from the media and the Dutch establishment about its leader Thierry Baudet is to to be expected. More about the demonisation of Baudet (and parallels with right-wing politician Pim Fortuyn who was murdered in 2002): 16 years after Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn was assassinated by a radical leftist, Dutch establishment is gunning for Thierry Baudet -- Sott.net
 
Back
Top Bottom