dpa, Hamburg, Germany
UTRECHT, Netherlands — Dutch police said Tuesday they had found a letter pointing to a possible terrorist motive in a deadly shooting in the city of Utrecht a day earlier.
Three people were killed on a tram in a western part of Utrecht during the shooting, and five others were wounded. The incident temporarily put the city on lockdown and the terrorism alert level was raised.
The letter was found in the getaway car, police said on Tuesday, adding that other evidence had been gathered that indicated terrorism.
However, investigators have not yet ruled out other possible motives, such as a private feud.
There had been speculation that the shooter may have known his victims, but police said on Tuesday that there were “no direct links” between the main suspect and those killed.
Alongside the chief suspect, a Turkish-born 37-year-old, police have detained two other men, aged 23 and 27, who all remain in custody.
Earlier in the day, the city’s mayor, Jan van Zanen, erroneously said two suspects had been released.
In the Hague, the Dutch parliament held a minute of silence for the victims on Tuesday.
“The Netherlands has been struck in the heart,” Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said.
“Our trust has taken a proper blow.”
https://twitter.com/PolitieUtrecht/status/1107951976023814145 https://twitter.com/PolitieUtrecht/status/1107955005175332865
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©2019 Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH (Hamburg, Germany)