The Utrecht tram attack
On March 18, 2019, Gökmen T. shot and killed four people in and near the tram on 24 Oktoberplein. Six people were injured. Witnesses were traumatized. Utrechter T. was arrested after a long manhunt in a house on the Oudenoord in Utrecht.
The court convicted the ‘tram shooter’ of four counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder and threats with a terrorist offence. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for his terrorist act, because the risk of recurrence was considered high.
Two years after the attack, the Justice and Security Inspectorate concluded that the police, the Public Prosecution Service and the Custodial Institution could have done more to reduce the risk of an attack by T.. Before the attack, they did not discuss and tackle the problems of T., who was known to them, well enough.
In doing so, they have not minimized the risks to society, the Inspectorate stated. Incidentally, the authority emphasized that this does not mean that the attack could have been prevented. The tram shooter had terrorist motives for his attack.