The incident occurred at 24 October Square, which has now been secured by officers. The city’s entire tram network has also been halted, Gelderlander.nl newspaper reported.
The NOS news broadcaster has reported that anti-terror police have surrounded a building where the gunman may be hiding.
Police stated that investigators were looking into a possible terrorist motive behind the shooting. Authorities have also raised the terrorism threat level to the highest possible in the Utrecht province.
"Several shots were fired in a tram and several people were injured. Helicopters are at the scene and no arrests have been made", police spokesman Joost Lanshage confirmed.
24 oktoberplein Utrecht pic.twitter.com/7NlFtBrqBK
— lilianbruigom@gmail.com (@lilianbruigom) 18 марта 2019 г.
Dutch PM Mark Rutte has commented on the shooting, stating that the government is holding crisis talks following the incident.
An eyewitness told RTV that he saw four men shoot a woman in the square and then fled the scene in different directions.
Schietincident op het #24oktoberplein. Meerdere gewonden gemeld. Hulpverlening gestart, meer informatie volgt z.s.m. Volg berichtgeving via @politieutrecht
— Politie Utrecht (@PolitieUtrecht) March 18, 2019
According to local journalists, police are still searching for the perpetrator.
