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Reuters
Reuters
Politics

Prosecutors - Utrecht gunman had terrorist intent, other possible motives under investigation

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Minister of Justice and Security Ferdinand Grapperhaus place flowers at a makeshift memorial at the site of a tram shooting in Utrecht, Netherlands March 19, 2019. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A suspected gunman arrested for killing three people on a Dutch tram this week is believed to have acted with terrorist intent, and authorities are also investigating whether he had other personal motives, prosecutors said on Thursday.

Prosecutors said they believe the suspect, 37-year-old Turkish-born Gokmen Tanis, acted alone in the shooting in the city of Utrecht, but the investigation is still ongoing.

"We are investigating whether the suspect acted solely from a terrorist motive, or whether his actions came out of personal problems in combination with a radicalised ideology," the prosecutors said in a statement.

Tanis is due to be brought before a judge on Friday and will also undergo psychological examination.

Three people died and five were wounded late Monday morning when a gunman opened fire on a tram in the central city of Utrecht. Tanis, the only suspect in the shooting, was arrested after a seven hour manhunt.

(Reporting by Toby Sterling; Editing by Toby Chopra and Peter Graff)

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