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| Gunman Attacks Tram Passengers in Utrecht, Dutch Police Say | Gunman Attacks Tram Passengers in Utrecht, Dutch Police Say |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| A shooting attack on Monday in the Dutch city of Utrecht that left several people injured was being investigated as a possible case of terrorism, the authorities said. | A shooting attack on Monday in the Dutch city of Utrecht that left several people injured was being investigated as a possible case of terrorism, the authorities said. |
| The Netherlands’ main counterterrorism agency raised its assessment of the threat in Utrecht province, just southeast of Amsterdam, to the highest level, and said it had activated a crisis team. | The Netherlands’ main counterterrorism agency raised its assessment of the threat in Utrecht province, just southeast of Amsterdam, to the highest level, and said it had activated a crisis team. |
| Dutch paramilitary police increased security at airports and other vital infrastructure points. | |
| Trauma helicopters have been sent to the scene, the Utrecht police said on Twitter, and trams in the city have been shut down while the authorities investigate. | Trauma helicopters have been sent to the scene, the Utrecht police said on Twitter, and trams in the city have been shut down while the authorities investigate. |
| There were no confirmed fatalities, but photographs taken by witnesses and shared on social media appeared to show a body covered by a white cloth on the ground near the stopped tram. | There were no confirmed fatalities, but photographs taken by witnesses and shared on social media appeared to show a body covered by a white cloth on the ground near the stopped tram. |
| Local media reported that a gunman fled the scene after the attack, which took place around 10:45 a.m., and might have escaped in a car. By midday there had been no arrests, and officials did not rule out the possibility that there was more than one attacker. | |
| The University Medical Center Utrecht opened a specialized disaster unit in response to the shooting. | The University Medical Center Utrecht opened a specialized disaster unit in response to the shooting. |
| Prime Minister Mark Rutte interrupted a weekly cabinet meeting to monitor the situation, several news outlets reported. | Prime Minister Mark Rutte interrupted a weekly cabinet meeting to monitor the situation, several news outlets reported. |
| The authorities were urging people to avoid the area to allow aid workers to reach the site of the attack at October 24 Square. | The authorities were urging people to avoid the area to allow aid workers to reach the site of the attack at October 24 Square. |
| Utrecht, about 25 miles from Amsterdam, has a population of about 330,000. | Utrecht, about 25 miles from Amsterdam, has a population of about 330,000. |
| Jimmy de Koster told the television station RTV Utrecht that he was at the square, heard gunfire and saw a young woman, apparently wounded, lying on the ground. | Jimmy de Koster told the television station RTV Utrecht that he was at the square, heard gunfire and saw a young woman, apparently wounded, lying on the ground. |
| “Four men walked very fast toward her and tried to drag her away,” he said. More shots were then fired, he said. | “Four men walked very fast toward her and tried to drag her away,” he said. More shots were then fired, he said. |
| Unlike Britain, Belgium, France and Germany, the Netherlands has not had a major terrorist attack in recent years. But the Dutch police said in September that they had foiled “very advanced” plans for a coordinated series of attacks, arresting seven men and seizing guns and bomb-making materials. | Unlike Britain, Belgium, France and Germany, the Netherlands has not had a major terrorist attack in recent years. But the Dutch police said in September that they had foiled “very advanced” plans for a coordinated series of attacks, arresting seven men and seizing guns and bomb-making materials. |