Manhunt launched after Dutch tram shooting

The death toll has risen to three in a shooting incident in Utrecht; nine victims were wounded, three seriously. Terror is suspected. 

By Associated Press

A shooting on a tram in the central Dutch city of Utrecht on Monday left at least three dead and “multiple” people wounded, police said, adding that they are considering the possibility of a “terrorist motive.” A manhunt was launched for the shooter.

German police say they have upped surveillance on the country’s border with the Netherlands and are on the lookout for the gunman behind a shooting.

Heinrich Onstein, a spokesman for the federal police in the border state of North Rhine-Westphalia, told the Associated Press that additional police had been added to watch not only major highways, but also minor crossings as well as railway routes.

He says the federal police are in close contact with authorities in the Netherlands and have a description of the suspect.

Police, including heavily armed officers, flooded the area after the shooting that happened in the morning on a tram at a busy traffic intersection in a residential neighborhood.

Utrecht police said that trauma helicopters were sent to the scene and appealed to the public to stay away to allow first responders to do their work. Television footage showed that a body appeared to be lying next to the tram.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte called the situation “very worrying” and the country’s counterterror coordinator said in a tweet that a crisis team was meeting to discuss the situation. The alert level was raised to its highest level for the area around Utrecht.

Police spokesman Bernhard Jens said that no one had been detained yet.

Jens said that “one explanation is that the person fled by car.” He did not rule out the possibility that more than one person was involved.

“We want to try to catch the person responsible as soon as possible,” Jens said.