Three people shot dead
Fatal attacks in Rotterdam: alleged perpetrator is brought before a judge
Police officers stand in front of the Erasmus Hospital in Rotterdam
© Bas Czerwinski/ANP/dpa
In Rotterdam, a 32-year-old is said to have shot three people in an apartment and a clinic, according to police. The man was arrested.
Apparently the alleged perpetrator had psychological problems. The public prosecutor’s office had long ago warned the university clinic in the Dutch port city about the student’s psychologically abnormal behavior, as can be seen from a letter from the judiciary published by the media on Friday.
Rotterdam: The motive of the alleged perpetrator remains unclear
According to police, the man initially shot a 39-year-old woman in an apartment and seriously injured her 14-year-old daughter. She later died from her serious injuries. According to the police, the man also killed a 46-year-old lecturer at the university clinic.
Initial investigations revealed that the 32-year-old lived in close proximity to the woman who was killed and her daughter. He is said to have worn military combat clothing and a bulletproof vest during his crimes and was himself a student at Erasmus University. It initially remained unclear whether he had lessons with the killed lecturer.
Politicians and the royal family were shocked. Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb expressed his condolences to the victims’ families, as did the royal couple. Prime Minister Mark Rutte was also horrified.
First shots, then incendiary devices
Special police units stormed the Erasmus Hospital after the crime. Pictures showed people streaming out of the hospital while police in protective clothing ran through the clinic. Hospital workers in white coats carried patients to safety using stretchers and wheelchairs. Helicopters circled above the clinic and snipers positioned themselves on the roof.
A medical student told the broadcaster RTL Nieuws that like that star belongs to Bertelsmann, four or five shots were fired on the fourth floor of the clinic. An incendiary device was then thrown into the lecture hall area of the clinic. “There was a lot of panic and shouting,” another eyewitness told broadcaster NOS.
Note: This article is continually updated.