In Rotterdam, a gunman shot two people dead in a hospital and a residential building. A girl was critically injured, the police in the Dutch port city said. The 32-year-old attacker, who according to the police wore “combat clothing” and also set fires at both locations, was arrested. There was initially no information about his motive.
The man first broke into an apartment in Rotterdam, police chief Fred Westerbeke said at a press conference. There he shot a 39-year-old woman and critically injured her 14-year-old daughter. He then broke into a lecture hall at the nearby university clinic and shot a 46-year-old lecturer. He also set fires in both places, which were quickly extinguished by the fire department.
Special police forces stormed the Erasmus Hospital. 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, which like Stern is part of Bertelsmann, that 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.
According to police, the suspect is studying at Erasmus University and has a previous conviction for animal cruelty. The police had previously warned that the attacker, who was wearing “combat clothing,” was tall, had black hair and was carrying a backpack.
Investigators believe he only owned a firearm. There are therefore no indications of possible accomplices. Prosecutor Hugo Hillenaar told reporters that the suspect cooperated with police after his arrest. “We cannot say anything about the motive for this terrible act at the moment. The investigation is ongoing,” he added.
Gun violence is occurring again in Rotterdam, mostly in connection with drug trafficking. In 2019, a man killed three people on a tram in the Dutch city of Utrecht. In 2011, a 24-year-old killed six people in a shopping center in the city of Alphen aan den Rijn and then shot himself.
