On the morning of 18 March 2019,[3] four people were killed and six others were injured in a mass shooting on a tram in Utrecht, Netherlands.[4] One of the injured died of his injuries ten days later.[5] Gökmen Tanis, a 37-year-old Dutch citizen (before being stripped of citizenship in 2022), originally from Turkey, was arrested later that day following a major security operation and manhunt.[6][7] He was later convicted of murder with terrorist intent and sentenced to life in prison. The shooting was classified as an act of Islamic extremism.[8][9][10]
Attack
At about 10:45 CET (09:45 UTC), a shooting took place on a light rail near the 24 Oktoberplein junction in Utrecht.[11] The shooter fled in a car, leading to a large scale police manhunt, which lasted for much of the day.[12] Several hours later, the police arrested Gökmen Tanis, a 37-year-old man born in Turkey.[13][14][15] In addition, two further arrests were made in connection to the shooting.[16] Police impounded a red Renault Clio in connection with the attack.[17][18]
Initially, it was reported that one of the women shot may have been the target due to "family reasons" and other passengers coming to her aid were then also targeted.[19] However, law enforcement later announced there was no evidence of any connection between Tanis and the victims. Instead, a note found in the getaway car hinted at terrorism being the motive.[20]
Victims
Three people were killed and seven others were injured, three severely.[21][4] The injured were taken to the University Medical Center Utrecht.[22] The three people killed were identified as two men from Utrecht aged 49 and 28, and a 19-year-old woman from the nearby city of Vianen.[23] A neighbour of the murdered 19-year-old started a crowd-funding action to cover the costs of her funeral, reaching the target within hours. It received so many donations that it was turned into a fund for all of the victims of the attack.[24][25] The 49-year-old victim, Rinke Terpstra, broke a window in the tram which allowed at least five people to escape. Terpstra was posthumously awarded the Erepenning voor Menslievend Hulpbetoon for his actions.[26][27][28]
A 74-year-old man injured in the shooting died of his injuries on 28 March,[29] bringing the death toll to four.[5]
Tanis grew up in Yozgat, Turkey, and came to the Netherlands in 1993 with his parents and two brothers. His parents divorced in 2008 and since then he had lost contact with his father.[33] Until 2017, he lived mainly with his mother. In the Utrecht neighborhood Kanaleneiland, Tanis is known for his hair color as 'De Rode Turk' or 'Lokman'. As of 2011, Tanis has been intermittently addicted to hard drugs. According to his family and local residents, he was very aggressive when he used drugs, and, apart from his interactions with other drug users, he was almost always seen alone. In the periods between his addictions he focused more on his Sunni faith.[34][35] At the time of his arrest, Tanis was about to be evicted due to rent arrears, while he also had outstanding fines. He lived alone at the time, but was engaged and had wedding plans.[36]
In August 2011, Tanis and another man were recorded verbally harassing Chantal Hanse [fy], then a reporter for GeenStijl, during a street interview by the Oudegracht. The video was popularly shared on the Dutch-language video site Dumpert.[37][38]
On December 7, 2013, Tanis was arrested in Kanaleneiland after firing 10 shots at an apartment building with a 9mm Beretta while under the influence of alcohol. He was convicted of illegal possession of weapons & sentenced to 150 days in prison, 49 of which were conditional.[39]
On 11 July 2017, Tanis raped a woman with whom he was acquainted through their joint cocaine addiction. On the day of the incident, Tanis had went to her residence while drunk, then briefly left to assault and rob a teenage boy in the neighbourhood. Upon his return 20 minutes later, Tanis was also under the influence of narcotics and proceeded to rape and beat the victim. Tanis was arrested and indicted, claiming to police that the encounter had been consensual.[40] Tanis faced trial for the rape two weeks before the tram attack.[2] Two days before the shooting, he was released after a two-week sentence at Lelystad prison, where he had reportedly been further radicalised and was known for attacking guards with headbutts.[41] He was due to serve four months in prison for a burglary committed in September 2018.[42]
On 22 March 2019, Tanis confessed to being the sole perpetrator of the shooting.[43] Another suspect was arrested but then released.[9] A letter found in the hijacked car the suspect fled in suggested terrorist motivations;[44] some witnesses claimed they heard the suspect say "Allahu akbar".[45] The public prosecutor charged the suspect with four counts of murder with a terrorist motive.[43]
On 1 July 2019, the contents of the found letter were made public. The letter read: "I am doing this for my religion. You people are killing Muslims and want to take our religion away from us. You will not succeed in that. Allah is great."[46] (Dutch: "Ik doe dit voor mijn geloof. Jullie maken moslims dood en willen jullie ons geloof van ons afpakken, maar gaat niet lukken. Allah is groot.")[47] Additionally, the silencer attached to the handgun used in the killings was inscribed with "texts referring to Islam", apparently emulating the writings on one of the rifles and its magazines used in the Christchurch mosque shootings three days earlier.[48] In court, Tanis represented himself after denying his right to a court-appointed legal defence. He stated that he committed the shooting in retaliation for the killing of Muslims abroad, telling the judge "I wanted to show you people that you are not made of diamond and that we are not made of sand" ("Ik wilde laten zien dat jullie niet van diamant zijn en wij niet van zand.")[47]
On 20 March 2020, Tanis was sentenced to life in prison.[8] He was also convicted of the 2017 rape charge, but due to already getting a life sentence, no additional prison term was added. Instead, Tanis was required to pay the requested compensation of €30,000 to the victim.[49][40]
On 17 February 2021, Tanis attacked two guards while incarcerated at De Schie prison [nl] in Rotterdam. One guard was stabbed with a home-made stabbing weapon in his face and neck. His minor injuries were treated in the hospital. A second guard had a pan of hot oil thrown at him, but was not injured. Tanis also destroyed gym and cooking equipment in the recreational room.[50]
In March 2022, he was stripped of his Dutch citizenship and lost his passport.[51] If he gets paroled, he must leave the country because he's an undesirable alien.
In November 2024, Tanis was convicted of attempted murder, attempted severe assault and vandalism after a retrial for his 2021 assault case. No punitive measures had been imposed during a first trial, but an appeal was entered by the public prosecutor's office, arguing that even if a sentence would likely only be symbolic, crimes committed during incarceration by those with life sentences should still be punished. He received an additional 7 years imprisonment, which would be served in case of early release.[52][49]
Aftermath
After the attack, the threat level in the province of Utrecht was unprecedentedly raised to level 5, the highest level.[53][54] After the suspect was caught, it was reduced to Level 4.[7] Police presence was increased at railway stations, including Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht, and at the country's airports.[53][55] Tram services in the city were cancelled.[56][57] Elite police forces carrying semi-automatic weapons guarded Jewish community buildings.[58] Mosques in the city were evacuated, and those elsewhere in the country were given increased security, likely due to the recent mosque shootings in New Zealand.[22]
The day after the shooting, all national flags on government buildings in the Netherlands and at Dutch diplomatic posts were flown at half-mast on request of Prime Minister Mark Rutte.[59] Dutch royal residences flew a black banner, symbolising mourning, alongside the customary royal standard.[60]
Police cars at the cordon near the 24 Oktoberplein, Utrecht, 18 March 2019.
Cordoning of 24 Oktoberplein, Utrecht, 18 March 2019
Flowers to commemorate the victims of the tram attack on 18 March 2019 at the 24 Oktoberplein, Utrecht
Local residents bring flowers to commemorate the victims of the tram attack
Local residents have brought flowers to commemorate the victims of the tram attack. City flag of Utrecht
School children of UniC and the International School of Utrecht, Utrecht are allowed to go home after the alert for the tram attack 18 March 2019 afternoon
2023 Commemoration
On 18 March 2023 the 2019 shooting was publicly commemorated by a speech by Mayor Sharon Dijksma near the location of the shooting. Flowers were laid down, and a special poem by city poet Ruben van Gogh was inaugurated. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no yearly commemorations were held in previous years. Dutch Minister of Justice and Security Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius was present at the ceremony.
Speech by Utrecht Mayor Sharon Dijksma
The public laid down flowers
A participant adjusted the flowers
Poem by Ruben van Gogh
Family and friends attach flowers for a Frisian victim to the tram track fence
