Gokmen Tanis (pictured) is suspected of shooting three people dead on a tram in Utrecht on Monday
The suspected gunman in the deadly Utrecht tram shooting has confessed and said that he acted alone, Dutch prosecutors have announced.
Gokmen Tanis, 37, faces murder and terrorism charges after apparently opening fire on Monday in a shooting which killed three people.
The Turkish-born suspect is due to appear before a judge today.
Tanis also faces charges of attempted murder or manslaughter and making threats with a terrorist intent.
Prosecution spokesman Frans Zonneveld said the motive for Monday's shooting is still under investigation.
The detention of Tanis, who was arrested after a seven-hour manhunt on Monday by Dutch security forces, was extended on Friday by the maximum amount allowed of two weeks.
Investigations continue into whether the suspect's actions 'flowed from personal problems combined with a radicalised ideology', prosecutors said.
Authorities said they had found a suspicious letter in a getaway car used by Turkish-born suspect Tanis, which made them 'seriously' consider terrorism might have been involved in Monday's rampage.
A 40-year old man, who was held on Tuesday because Tanis was arrested in his house, was released on Friday after authorities found no evidence to link him to the shooting.
Two other men who were arrested Monday in connection with the shooting had been released, prosecutors added.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte earlier in the day laid flowers for the victims at the scene of the attack and said he was 'still filled with horror' by the bloodshed.
Emergency: Dutch special police forces inspect the tram in Utrecht after a gunman opened fire in the public transport carriage and killed three people
'So far, a terrorist motive is seriously being taken into account. This is based on a letter found in the getaway car among other things and the nature of the facts,' Dutch police and prosecutors said in a joint statement yesterday.
Apparently ruling out reports that the shooting was due to a family dispute, the statement added: 'Our investigation has established no link between the main suspect and the victims.'
The three people who died in the shooting were a 19-year-old woman from Vianen, south of Utrecht, and two men aged 28 and 49 from Utrecht itself, the statement said.
Armed police captured Tanis after an eight-hour manhunt that virtually shut down the Netherlands' fourth largest city and saw security stepped up at airports and key sites across the country.
Police said they found a red Renault Clio that the suspect had carjacked before the attack and used as a getaway car afterwards. They had also found a firearm after his arrest.
A stream of mourners laid flowers on Tuesday at the site of the attack near the 24 Oktoberplein square.
'One of the victims was my friend's girlfriend. So coming here today was the least I could do,' Marco van Rooijen, 43, told AFP.
The attack raised security fears ahead of Wednesday's provincial elections in the Netherlands. Populist and far-right parties have seized on the attack to push their agenda for the polls but Rutte has remained restrained.
'A day later, I am still filled with horror,' Rutte told parliament.
Tributes: Students lay flowers near the site of the shooting as Dutch police and prosecutors pursue 'every lead there is'
'There are still many questions about the motive, and the police and prosecutors still have to do a lot of work. But there is no doubt that the impact was huge.'
Flags were flying half-mast on many buildings around the Netherlands and on foreign embassies.
Public transport was running again after forensic police finished their investigations at the scene and removed the tram on which the shooting erupted.
But there was also growing anger after it emerged that the suspect had only been freed from jail in a rape case two weeks ago.
Tanis was originally arrested in 2017 then released from pre-trial detention, before being taken back into custody when he breached his bail conditions, the central Netherlands district court said.
He was freed again at the start of March.
In 2014, he was also convicted of 'illegal possession of weapons' and attempted theft but acquitted of attempted manslaughter. He was also convicted in recent months for shoplifting and burglary.
Broadcaster NOS meanwhile said some of his relatives had links to fundamentalist Islamic groups, but also that he was known for unstable behaviour after divorcing his wife two years ago.
A woman involved in the rape case told the Algemeen Dagblad newspaper: 'He is completely mad and uses drugs. I have previously warned the police against him. He's not a terrorist but a psychopath.'
Support for the Netherlands poured in from around the world, including the United States, the EU and Russia.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said: 'America stands with you. We will continue to do all we can to help you in this terrible time of tragedy.'
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country's intelligence agency was 'looking into' the attack.
Link hienalouca.com
https://hienalouca.com/2019/03/22/dutch-tram-shooting-suspect-says-he-acted-alone-as-he-confesses/
Main photo article
Gokmen Tanis (pictured) is suspected of shooting three people dead on a tram in Utrecht on Monday
The suspected gunman in the deadly Utrecht tram shooting has confessed and said that he acted alone, Dutch prosecutors have announced.
Gokmen Tanis, 37, faces murder and terrorism charges a...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves Online news HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/03/20/12/11226228-6830343-image-m-3_1553085173631.jpg
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