Police Arrest Turkish National for Tram Shooting in Netherlands
Peter D'Abrosca
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Police in The Netherlands have arrested a Turkish national after a Monday morning shooting on a tram in the city of Utrecht.
“The suspect, identified as Turkish-born Gokmen Tanis, 37, allegedly gunned down three people and wounded five others before fleeing in a car, officials said,” according to The New York Post.
The number of wounded has risen to nine throughout the course of the day.
By midmorning, authorities were calling the shooting a terrorist attack. Police spokesman Bernhard Jens later said they were not “100 percent sure” of the motive. Other reports have claimed that the attack was a domestic dispute, and that the gunman had one specific target.
“The shooting sparked fears of a terrorist attack, but the man’s relatives have told Turkish news agency Anadolu that Tanis fired at a relative because of ‘family reasons,'” the report said. “He then shot others who tried to help the victim, they told the news outlet.”
A Turkish news agency made contact with Tanis’ father, who has reportedly not spoken to his son in 11 years. Mehmet Tanis lives in Turkey’s Kayseri province, and said that his son should be held responsible if he did, indeed, commit the attack.
“If he did it, he should pay the penalty,” he reportedly said.
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