Netherlands Shooting: Several Injured, 1 Dead as Gunman Open Fire on Tram in Central Dutch City of Utrecht
The incident comes four days after a far-right extremist in New Zealand's Christchurch fired indiscriminately at worshippers inside two mosques, killing at least 50 among them.
Utrecht, March 18: A case of mass shooting was reported from Netherlands' Utrecht city on Monday. Several people have been injured, whereas, one local is being feared dead. As per the preliminary reports, the shooting incident erupted on a tram in the central Dutch city, where an armed miscreant launched open fire.
The square closest to the tram, 24 Oktoberplein junction, in Utrecht has been cordoned off, with a team of emergency security personnel rushed to the spot. Traffic has been diverted from the spot to ensure free-movement for additional police forces. Three helicopters have also been rushed to the site, local media reported. New Zealand Mosque Shooting Was Live Streamed on Facebook by Shooter, Graphic Video Goes Viral
A Dutch police official, Dutch News, said the shooting was reported to them at 10:45 local time (09:45 GMT). Reports claimed that the attacker was accompanied by an associated, and the duo escaped from the spot after indiscriminately firing at the civilians. However, official sources are still claiming that only one person fired at the commuters on the tram.
The identity of the accused is yet to be identified, another official said. He, however, added that terror angle has not been ruled out. The anti-terrorism squad has also been dispatched, he confirmed.
A statement issued by the Utretch police department states that they are treating the case as one which involves a "possible terrorist motive".
Reacting to the shooting incident, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the situation is "very worrying". The nation's counterterror coordinator also posted a tweet, informing that a high-level meeting is underway to discuss the situation. The threat level in the nation, meanwhile, has been raised from low to "high".
One eye-witness, who escaped from the site of attack, told a news portal that a "man started shooting wildly" at the passengers. The motive of his attack, however, was not clear, he added.
The incident comes four days after a far-right extremist in New Zealand's Christchurch fired indiscriminately at worshippers inside two mosques using a machine gun. The act of terror left at least 50 people, all Muslims, dead.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 18, 2019 04:31 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).