Utrecht tram gunman to face terrorism charges, Dutch prosecutors say

From the Telegraph

The Utrecht tram gunman will face terrorism charges when he appears in court on Friday, Dutch prosecutors have said. A public prosecution service spokesman said on Thursday: “The 37-year-old suspect will appear before a judge on Friday, charged with multiple murders with terrorist aims, as well as attempted murder and a terrorist threat.”

Authorities are also investigating whether he had other personal motives, and said they believe the suspect acted alone. However, from Deustch Welle

Dutch police on Wednesday said they had arrested a new suspect in a shooting that killed three people and injured seven others on a tram in the city of Utrecht, as they investigated whether there was a terrorist motive behind the attack.

Officers from a specialized arrest team detained the 40-year-old man in Utrecht on Tuesday and released two other men that had been detained earlier, said police spokesman Joost Lanshage.

A spokesman for public prosecutors, Ties Kortmann, said that the investigation is probing the motive of the suspects and into the possible involvement of the man arrested on Tuesday. “We are looking at the role of the new suspect,” he added. The suspect’s identity has not been released.

The statement continued: “We are investigating whether the suspect acted solely from a terrorist motive, or whether his actions came out of personal problems in combination with a radicalised ideology.”

Tanis will face a judge on Friday and will also undergo psychological examination.

Police said a terrorist motive was being seriously considered after a note was found in the getaway car — a red Renault Clio that the suspect had carjacked before the attack and used to flee the scene afterwards. They had also found a firearm after his arrest.

Police appeared to rule out reports that the shooting was due to a family dispute, after Turkish media outlets reported such a connection on the day of the shooting.

“Our investigation has established no link between the main suspect and the victims,” the statement added.