EAccording to the police, a 32-year-old student from Rotterdam shot two people and seriously injured a 14-year-old in an apartment and a university clinic. The man was arrested and the firearm was seized, police chief Fred Westerbeke said on Thursday evening in the Dutch port city. “We see this as a targeted act.” But the motive is still unclear.
In the early afternoon, shots were fired in an apartment in the west of Rotterdam, as the police chief described. The man shot a 39-year-old and seriously injured her 14-year-old daughter. Then he set fire. The alleged perpetrator then drove to the nearby university hospital. There he opened fire on a 46-year-old lecturer in a lecture hall, who died as a result. The suspect then set fire to the clinic.
A medical student told broadcaster RTL Nieuws 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.
The police moved out quickly. Two helicopters were in use, as were special forces. A short time later, the suspect was arrested on the helicopter platform at the University Hospital. Some departments of the clinic were evacuated. Doctors, nursing staff, students and even patients stood horrified in front of the building, as could be seen on TV images.
Convicted of animal cruelty
The suspected perpetrator was wearing military combat clothing and a bulletproof vest, police chief Westerbeke said. He was himself a student at Erasmus University. But it was initially unclear whether he had lessons with the slain lecturer. As of 2021, he has been convicted of animal cruelty. He is scheduled to appear before the judge on Friday.
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 yet say anything about the motive for this terrible act. The investigation is ongoing,” he added. Initial investigations revealed that he lived in close proximity to the woman who was killed and her daughter.
Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb expressed his condolences to the victims’ families. “We were alarmed by a despicable act.” Prime Minister Mark Rutte was also horrified. The royal couple expressed their condolences to the relatives and victims. “We also think of everyone who was in fear during these terrible acts,” the couple said.
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