Breaking: Possible terrorist attack in Utrecht, Netherlands

At 10:45 a.m. Monday, at 24 October Square in Utrecht, Netherlands, an attacker went onto a tram and opened fire on passengers. At least three passengers have died from gunshot wounds and five others have been wounded.

The Special Intervention Service (DSI)—an overarching counterterror unit of the national police—is searching for the suspect who CNN reports is Gökmen Tanis, 37, born in Turkey. His motives are unknown, as he is still at large.

The National Coordinator for Terrorism and Security (NCTV) raised the threat level to level 5, which is the highest level in the Netherlands. However, this is only for the larger Utrecht province. This means authorities are treating the situation as an “impending terror attack.”

Police in Rotterdam and the Province of Brabant decided to increase the security for mosques.

A witness told the daily Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad: “A man with a large handgun started shooting out of nowhere. I was sitting in the back of the train. He was shooting wildly around him but seemed to be aiming at people sitting on the benches.”

NEWSREP will update this story throughout the day as new information becomes available.

 

Update at 1141 EST: Dutch police adjusted the number of wounded to five. This article has been corrected to reflect that.

Update at 1455 EST: Suspected attacker, Gökman Tanis, said to be caught.