Several people were killed in two shootings in Rotterdam on Thursday.
Police have arrested a 32-year-old man suspected of carrying out both shootings, ruling out the possibility of a second shooter.
The attacker was armed with combat gear and opened fire in an apartment in the Dutch city and then broke into a nearby medical center. Fire broke out at both places, but was extinguished after a short time.
“The two shootings in Rotterdam have left people dead. We will first inform the family and provide an explanation later,” the city police said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.
Elite police units raided the Dutch city’s hospital in search of the suspect, who was armed with a gun, authorities said.
The motive for the attack is unknown, local news agency ANP reported, citing police.
WARNING – Chaos op #Rotterdam, aux Pays-Bas. Plusieurs personnes have two classes in two fusillades. A man weaponizing his life in an apartment could be a breakthrough in a medical center. The fires have been declared. Suspect an été arrêté (police). pic.twitter.com/MlkAAMRuJU
– Info Françaises (@InfosFrancaises) September 28, 2023
Photos showed people leaving the hospital, including doctors, as police wearing bulletproof vests approached.
Police had previously said the suspect was wearing “combat fatigues,” was tall, had black hair and was carrying a backpack.
| HOLLAND: Shooting in Rotterdam causes several deaths, Dutch police say. pic.twitter.com/vW2DSLtjvG
– Alerta Mundo (@AlertaMundo_) September 28, 2023
“First there was a shooting on the fourth floor. Four or five shots were fired. Then a Molotov cocktail was thrown into the education center,” said a medical student, quoted by RTL Newswithout revealing the name.
“There was a lot of panic and screaming… I didn’t hear any shots, just panic and I started to act accordingly,” another eyewitness told the public broadcaster. US.
Rotterdam is regularly the scene of shootings, which are usually attributed to the settlement of scores by rival drug gangs.
In 2019, three people were shot dead on a tram in Utrecht, sparking a huge manhunt.
updated
Source: DN
