Dutch police arrest Turkish man suspected of killing three in tram shooting

[webfact]

Dutch police arrest Turkish man suspected of killing three in tram shooting

By Bart H. Meijer

 

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

 

UTRECHT, Netherlands (Reuters) - Dutch police arrested a Turkish man suspected of shooting dead three people and wounding five on a tram in the Dutch city of Utrecht on Monday.

 

Police said the suspect, 37-year-old Gokmen Tanis, had been taken into custody after an hours-long manhunt and had earlier run-ins with authorities in the Netherlands.

 

The city was put into lockdown after the shooting, shortly after the morning rush hour, which authorities initially said was an apparent terrorist attack. Police conducted raids in several locations after issuing an image of Tanis and warning the public not to approach him.

 

But hours after the shooting, the gunman's motive remained unclear. A prosecutor said it could be for "family reasons" and Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency, quoting relatives of the gunman, said he had fired at a relative on the tram and had then shot at others who tried to help her.

 

The Turkish intelligence agency said it is investigating whether the attack was personally motivated or an act of terrorism, President Tayyip Erdogan said.

 

Earlier on Wednesday, Dutch authorities had raised the terrorism threat in Utrecht province to its highest level, schools were told to shut their doors and paramilitary police increased security at airports, other vital infrastructure and at mosques.

 

The threat level was reduced by one notch to where it had been after the suspect was arrested, the National Counter-Terrorism Agency said.

 

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte convened crisis talks immediately after 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.

 

"Our country has today been shocked by an attack in Utrecht... A terrorist motive cannot be excluded," Rutte said. "The first reports have led to disbelief and disgust. Innocent people have been struck by violence."

 

The mayor of Utrecht, Jan van Zanen, said three people had been killed and five injured, three of them critically.

 

CRIMINAL RECORD

The suspect had previously been arrested, regional prosecutor Rutger Jeuken told reporters, without giving further details.

 

The shooting took place in Kanaleneiland, a quiet residential district on the outskirts of Utrecht with a large immigrant population.

 

"It's frightening that something like this can happen so close to home," said Omar Rahhou, who said his parents lived on a street cordoned off by police. "These things normally happen far away but this brings it very close, awful."

 

Witness Daan Molenaar, who said he had been sitting at the front of the tram when the shooting started, told national broadcaster NOS he did not believe it was a terrorist attack.

 

"The first thing I thought was, this is some kind of revenge or something, or somebody who's really mad and grabbed a pistol," he said.

 

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.

 

(Additional reporting by Toby Sterling and Anthony Deutsch; Writing by Gareth Jones; Editing by Janet Lawrence, William Maclean)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-03-19

[stevenl]

The authorities didn't say 'apparent', they said 'possible'. Big difference.

 

It now looks like no terrorist motivation.

[Chomper Higgot]

Great work by the Dutch police.

 

 

[tabarin]

Wonder why it is made so much bigger though, that is not Dutch at all (I am).  Just 3 people died and another 5 wounded, that's all. Don't ask me why they blow it up in politics and the news but there is a round of elections coming.

Nothing to actually call a terrorist attack or link to serious extremist groups, sounds more like a dumb spoiled Dutch turk who has too much free time on his hands with his friends and came up with this after smoking weed for 10 years.

[metisdead]

A troll post and a reply has been removed. 

[Opl]

2 hours ago, tabarin said:

Wonder why it is made so much bigger though, that is not Dutch at all (I am).
Just 3 people died and another 5 wounded, that's all. Don't ask me why they blow it up in politics and the news but there is a round of elections coming.

Nothing to actually call a terrorist attack or link to serious extremist groups,
sounds more like a dumb spoiled Dutch turk who has too much free time on his hands with his friends and came up with this after smoking weed for 10 years.

" a dumb spoiled Dutch Turk" with criminal record: for theft, vandalism and attempted murder. He is currently the subject of "investigations in connection with a rape case", according to the public radio NOS."

The perfect profile.

"The suspect, Gökmen Tanış, had been to Chechnya “to fight” before, BBC Turkish quoted an anonymous businessperson as saying. “He was arrested over suspected links to the ISIL a few years ago and then released,” the Turkish businessperson living in the Netherlands said."

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-suspect-of-utrecht-shooting-was-arrested-over-links-to-isil-report-141990

"Tanış was even questioned and investigated for both manslaughter and assault after he allegedly fired shots into the air at an apartment in the Kanaleneiland district of Utrecht — close to where Monday's shooting occurred — in December 2013. He also appeared in court two weeks ago over a 2017 case in which he was accused of attempted rape, Dutch news outlet Utrechts Nieuwsblad said."

https://www.dailysabah.com/europe/2019/03/18/utrecht-shooting-suspect-had-criminal-record-for-attempted-manslaughter-rape-dutch-media

 

[stevenl]

42 minutes ago, Opl said:

" a dumb spoiled Dutch Turk" with criminal record: for theft, vandalism and attempted murder. He is currently the subject of "investigations in connection with a rape case", according to the public radio NOS."

The perfect profile.

"The suspect, Gökmen Tanış, had been to Chechnya “to fight” before, BBC Turkish quoted an anonymous businessperson as saying. “He was arrested over suspected links to the ISIL a few years ago and then released,” the Turkish businessperson living in the Netherlands said."

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-suspect-of-utrecht-shooting-was-arrested-over-links-to-isil-report-141990

"Tanış was even questioned and investigated for both manslaughter and assault after he allegedly fired shots into the air at an apartment in the Kanaleneiland district of Utrecht — close to where Monday's shooting occurred — in December 2013. He also appeared in court two weeks ago over a 2017 case in which he was accused of attempted rape, Dutch news outlet Utrechts Nieuwsblad said."

https://www.dailysabah.com/europe/2019/03/18/utrecht-shooting-suspect-had-criminal-record-for-attempted-manslaughter-rape-dutch-media

 

That (the ISIL connection) is yesterday's information. I would not trust that with a fast developing case as this. It also does not fit the information received from others who knew the perp.

[puipuitom]

6 hours ago, tabarin said:

Wonder why it is made so much bigger though, that is not Dutch at all (I am).
Just 3 people died and another 5 wounded, that's all. Don't ask me why they blow it up in politics and the news but there is a round of elections coming.

Nothing to actually call a terrorist attack or link to serious extremist groups,
sounds more like a dumb spoiled Dutch turk who has too much free time on his hands with his friends and came up with this after smoking weed for 10 years.

`Several witnesses testified the killer shouted "allah u akbar". 

Better NOT take any risk / bring down the risk as much as possible, that say "sorry" later.

And, not the first time a small muslim criminal, who lived haram fro quite some time, suddenly sees the holy light, and joins terroristic anty-unbelievers ( infidel) actions.

With the knowledge of today, every decission of yesterday can be made better

[Opl]

4 hours ago, stevenl said:

That (the ISIL connection) is yesterday's information. I would not trust that with a fast developing case as this. It also does not fit the information received from others who knew the perp.

 

The "suspect"'s resume speaks for itself, it's a déjà vu case of piling up motives ranging from personal disputes, frustration, and inadaptation to live in peace, etc etc..

The saddest thing is that it becomes clear now, after so many incidents of the same scenario, if you want to stay alive you'd better not interfere despite you'd instinctively would try to help someone in trouble. The price to pay is'nt worth it, and it's not a matter of cowardise when you are confronting a frustrated loser holding a gun, a knife, whatever his motives, there is no negotiation, we do not share the same values.  

"The gunman's motive was still unclear. A prosecutor said it could be for “family reasons", while Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency, quoting relatives of the gunman, said he had fired at a relative on the tram and then shot at others who tried to help her."

https://www.euronews.com/2019/03/18/several-people-injured-in-shooting-in-dutch-city-of-utrecht-police     

[dabhand]

BBC just reporting that the killer was not connected with any of the victims. It seems to have been a random attack. Also reporting on a letter that was found near to the scene of the shooting with the contents giving rise to possible terrorist related issues.

So, the previous comments about 'family reasons' may be a bit far from the mark. But, there again, no clear facts as yet, so still up in the air.  

[stevenl]

13 minutes ago, dabhand said:

BBC just reporting that the killer was not connected with any of the victims. It seems to have been a random attack. Also reporting on a letter that was found near to the scene of the shooting with the contents giving rise to possible terrorist related issues.

So, the previous comments about 'family reasons' may be a bit far from the mark. But, there again, no clear facts as yet, so still up in the air.  

Yes, still swinging both directions at the moment.