ALPHEN AAN DEN RIJN, Netherlands — A man armed with a machine gun opened fire in a crowded shopping mall Saturday, killing six people and wounding 15, and then committed suicide, officials and witnesses said.
Children were among the casualties, including an infant who was lightly injured, said Mayor Bas Eenhoorn. Three of the wounded were hospitalized in critical condition.
The rampage ended when the attacker shot himself in the head at the Ridderhof mall in Alphen aan den Rijn, a suburb 19 miles southwest of Amsterdam.
“It’s too terrible for words, a shock for us all,” Eenhoorn said. “Alphen is in mourning.”
The gunman was identified as Tristan van der Vlis, 24, and it was “all but certain” he acted alone, said District Attorney Kitty Nooy. Afterward, a note was found in the attacker’s black Mercedes containing threats that he had planted explosives at three other malls in the city, Nooy said. The malls were evacuated, but no explosives were found.
A witness identified as Maart Verbeek told state broadcaster NOS that the attacker appeared to be firing randomly.
“There was a panic in the mall, a lot of people running,” said Verbeek, a pet shop owner. “I see the attacker coming, walking, and I go inside the store . . . and I see him going by with a big machine gun.”
Nooy said the shooter was a native Dutchman from Alphen who had previous run-ins with the law, including an illegal- weapons possession charge when he was 17 years old that was later dropped. He lived with his father.
He had permits for five guns, including the machine gun, Een hoorn said.
The exact type of weapon was not identified. Dutch law forbids ownership of most firearms but makes exceptions for some collectors and hunters. Eenhoorn said prosecutors were investigating whether the permits had been properly granted.
Hours after the shooting, residents continued to gather at the mall, some of whom appeared to be in a daze.
“You hear about this sort of thing happening at American schools and you think that’s a long way away,” said Rob Kuipers, 50, a project manager. “Now it’s happened here in the Netherlands.”
Eenhoorn said the gunman’s mother and father were cooperating with the police investigation. The mother found a suicide note at her son’s apartment, but Eenhoorn said it did not offer any explanation for the attack.
With his voice choking at times, Eenhoorn described the incident as a “disaster of unparalleled proportions” for Alphen, known as a quiet residential suburb. The deadly attack occurred during one of the region’s first sunny days of spring, so many people were out and about.
Past violence in the Netherlands
Although rare, shootings and violence are not unknown in the Netherlands.
• In 1999, four students and a teacher were hurt in a school shooting.
• There have been two assassinations in the past decade: the 2002 killing of right-wing politician Pim Fortuyn by an animal- rights activist and the 2004 murder of filmmaker Theo van Gogh by an Islamic extremist.
• In 2009, a loner drove his car into a group of bystanders during a royal parade, killing eight and wounding 10.
The Associated Press
