Terrorist attack in Utrecht (NL) (user search)
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  Terrorist attack in Utrecht (NL) (search mode)
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Author Topic: Terrorist attack in Utrecht (NL)  (Read 1145 times)
DavidB.
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« on: March 18, 2019, 05:51:24 AM »
« edited: March 19, 2019, 08:58:18 AM by DavidB. »

Shooting on the light rail in a multicultural neighborhood in Utrecht (NL), multiple casualties. Perpetrator fled the scene. No news about him yet. Multiple emergency helicopters have arrived at the scene. PM Rutte to meet crisis team.

Railway staff are on strike today and an election will take place on Wednesday, so could be a strategically planned terrorist attack. Gun violence isn't unusual in this area, but targeted killings usually don't take place on light rail trains. Still, let's wait for the details. But this does seem serious.
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DavidB.
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« Reply #1 on: March 18, 2019, 06:04:45 AM »

1 person has deceased. Multiple perpetrators, possibly shootings in multiple compartments of the train. Police say they're thinking of a terrorist motive.
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DavidB.
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« Reply #2 on: March 18, 2019, 06:56:40 AM »

Press conference in 20 minutes at 1:15.

Terror threat level in Utrecht province at 5 now, the highest level possible (scale goes from 1 to 5) and for the first time. It used to be 4 for years in the entire country.

All mosques in Utrecht have been evacuated.
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DavidB.
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« Reply #3 on: March 18, 2019, 07:30:03 AM »
« Edited: March 18, 2019, 08:15:15 AM by DavidB. »

Just confirmed by the National Coordinator Counterterrorism: multiple locations, possibly multiple suspects. No news about the number of casualties yet. No news about motive.

Increased police presence in Rotterdam, The Hague, Amsterdam and at Schiphol Airport.

Unofficial: it's hard to see how this isn't a terror attack now. Lots of rumors going on but I think it's best to ignore them for now until we know more and not feed into the speculations. It's all a bit unreal and we therefore need to keep our calm.

All parties (except for FVD) have suspended their campaigns for the Wednesday election, and the television debate at Erasmus University Rotterdam that was scheduled for this evening has been cancelled.
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DavidB.
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E: 0.58, S: 4.26


« Reply #4 on: March 18, 2019, 07:57:16 AM »

Press conference at 2:30 by Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Minister of Justice and Security Ferdinand Grapperhaus.
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DavidB.
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E: 0.58, S: 4.26


« Reply #5 on: March 18, 2019, 08:20:17 AM »
« Edited: March 18, 2019, 09:00:31 AM by DavidB. »

The suspect who fled is a 37-year old man from Turkey named Gökmen Tanis, public broadcaster NOS reports.
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DavidB.
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E: 0.58, S: 4.26


« Reply #6 on: March 18, 2019, 08:37:13 AM »

The suspect is supposedly featured on the internet in a video from 2011 that went viral and that many people still recall, in which he calls a female journalist a whore and a "dirty democrat." He also was suspected of rape in a court case that took place two weeks ago, and was detained. Doesn't sound like a devout Muslim, but you never know.
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DavidB.
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E: 0.58, S: 4.26


« Reply #7 on: March 18, 2019, 08:49:26 AM »
« Edited: March 18, 2019, 08:59:46 AM by DavidB. »

Rutte: multiple casualties and possibly multiple deaths. Disbelief and horror. He says it is a "possible" act of terror but clearly anticipates that it is: says an act of terror is an attack on our open society and civilization, but our liberal democracy is stronger than fanaticism and violence and we will never give in to it. Rutte did use the word "attack" without ifs and buts.

Grapperhaus reiterates that the threat level in Utrecht is 5, in the rest of the country 4. People should be alert but also calm. People in Utrecht province are advised to stay indoors as police are looking for the suspect.
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DavidB.
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« Reply #8 on: March 18, 2019, 09:00:06 AM »
« Edited: March 18, 2019, 09:11:10 AM by DavidB. »

"At least" 3 deaths, 9 wounded according to the mayor of Utrecht, but unconfirmed by police.
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DavidB.
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Political Matrix
E: 0.58, S: 4.26


« Reply #9 on: March 18, 2019, 09:55:15 AM »
« Edited: March 18, 2019, 10:06:03 AM by DavidB. »

Multiple witnesses said that the suspects (plural) said "Allahu akbar" and deliberately avoided injuring a Moroccan passenger after this passenger shouted to the attackers that he was a Moroccan, which is why the authorities have been inclined to treat it as a terror attack. Unconfirmed by police still, but not just a rumor: witnesses are claiming this.
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DavidB.
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Posts: 13,617
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Political Matrix
E: 0.58, S: 4.26


« Reply #10 on: March 18, 2019, 10:39:53 AM »

Number of injured victims is not 9 but 5, NOS now fortunately says. Death toll remains three.

Thanks man. My relatives and I are safe. But it's a bit unreal and different now that it happens here in the Netherlands, even though I've known for years that it would happen someday. If this is what it seems to be, that is.
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DavidB.
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Political Matrix
E: 0.58, S: 4.26


« Reply #11 on: March 18, 2019, 11:08:37 AM »
« Edited: March 18, 2019, 11:20:31 AM by DavidB. »

Thanks, Omega21!

The advice to the inhabitants of Utrecht to stay home has been lifted. The suspect's brother has been taken into custody for questioning by police at his vocational school in the Utrecht suburb of Nieuwegein.

Contradictory to previous statements, police now say there was only one location. Still unclear whether there were multiple shooters or not, what the motive was, who the victims are, etc. I feel like more than six hours after the attack the public should have received more information by now. There should be another press conference between 6 and 7 PM. But I'm wondering whether we will receive any more meaningful information at all today.

The suspect has the following criminal history: breaking into a van in 2012, attempted manslaughter with a firearm in 2013, shoplifting in 2014, spitting at and threatening a police officer in 2014, driving under the influence of alcohol in 2014, breaking a window and afterwards demolishing his police cell in 2015, rape in 2017. Nice lad, good addition to our country for sure. You also have to wonder why this guy was walking around this morning in the first place.
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DavidB.
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Political Matrix
E: 0.58, S: 4.26


« Reply #12 on: March 18, 2019, 12:31:53 PM »

Police have caught Tanis.
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DavidB.
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Posts: 13,617
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Political Matrix
E: 0.58, S: 4.26


« Reply #13 on: March 18, 2019, 08:00:57 PM »
« Edited: March 18, 2019, 08:04:04 PM by DavidB. »

To summarize: it currently seems as if the following is the case.

Perpetrator is a criminal who keeps getting arrested for rather violent crimes and is clearly mentally unstable. Was addicted to alcohol and/or drugs for some years. At the same time, an undercurrent of disgust against the West fuels his thoughts. The viral video from 2011 is actually rather revealing in the sense that he explicitly calls this female journalist not only a slut, but also a democrat, in a derogatory way - contrasting it with belief in sharia. A devout Muslim he definitely wasn't, but he was a Muslim (even if non-observant) and rejected Dutch society and its values. In many cases it is not necessarily devout Muslims holding these views.

This rape court case took place two weeks ago and probably didn't go well. He had a vengeance towards his ex. Christchurch and quite possibly Erdogan's response to it made him feel like he was "on edge" and provided the final trigger. He went on this lightrail to shoot his ex, but, fuelled with anger towards Western "crusaders", didn't mind finishing off some Dutch people standing in his way and providing cover/first aid to his ex. The Allahu Akbar part which caused the authorities to believe it was a terror attack may very well be true, and so may the avoiding Moroccans part be.

Honour killing? Yes. Terror motive? Partly.

The story is going to be something along these lines.

I do feel as if authorities may have overreacted slightly, but on the other hand this is a genuinely ambiguous and difficult case to handle - worsened by the fact that it took them a while to catch the perpetrator.

The award of the day for disinformation goes to the head of the Moroccan mosque organization in the area, claiming on tv that there had been a shooting at his mosque - and then couldn't provide details with regard to the specific mosque. This is what caused many people to think it may have been a far-right shooter. But it was all bullsh**t.
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DavidB.
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Posts: 13,617
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Political Matrix
E: 0.58, S: 4.26


« Reply #14 on: March 19, 2019, 05:43:28 AM »

This keeps getting weirder. Public prosecutor now says there was no relationship between the perpetrator and his victims. The victims are a 19-year old woman from Vianen and two men, aged 28 and 49, from Utrecht. The three life-threateningly wounded people are a 20-year old woman from Utrecht, a 21-year old woman from Nieuwegein and a 74-year old man from De Meern. Public prosecutor reiterates that terrorist motive is likely. The perpetrator apparently left a note in the car that he carjacked that also indicates this.
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DavidB.
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Posts: 13,617
Israel


Political Matrix
E: 0.58, S: 4.26


« Reply #15 on: March 19, 2019, 08:58:53 AM »

Note in car reads that Tanis claimed to act "in Allah's name" and he "greets his Muslim brothers".
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