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Three killed and nine injured in Utrecht shooting, says mayor

The suspect fled the scene

© REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw

THE HAGUE, March 18. /TASS/. Three people were killed and at least nine others were injured in a tram shooting in Dutch Utrecht, Mayor Van Zanen said in a video statement uploaded to Twitter.

Three people were killed in the incident and nine more were injured, he said.

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According to police, all injured tram passengers were rushed to hospitals and are receiving medical treatment. The nationalities of the people killed or injured in the tram shooting are not identified. The Russian Embassy to the Netherlands said it "stays in touch with law enforcement agencies".

The suspect fled the scene. Police issued a CCTV picture of the suspect. He is named by police as Turkish-born Gokman Tanis, aged 37. Earlier, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told a news conference that at the moment efforts of the law enforcement agencies were focused on catching the suspect opening fire on a tram. Nothing has been said about whether he had had accomplices.

National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg said it could have been a terrorist attack. The terrorism threat was raised to the highest level in Utrecht province.

An emergency meeting of the country’s leadership is scheduled in the afternoon to discuss the incident. Political parties have suspended their election campaigns. Security measures have been stepped up at government buildings, terminals, airports and mosques. In Utrecht itself, some roads have been closed, as well as churches. Many stores and educational establishments were told to shut their doors and nobody is let either in or out.

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