[ April 13, 2026 ]
Dutch prosecutors say they have a “strong indication” that the Muslim accused of fatally shooting four passengers on a tram in the central city of Utrecht in March had a “terrorist motive.” Ya think?
Suspect in deadly Dutch tram shooting appears in court
By Mike Corder, AP, July 1, 2019:
Dutch prosecutors say they have a “strong indication” that a man accused of fatally shooting four passengers on a tram in the central city of Utrecht in March had a “terrorist motive.” Prosecutors say that 37-year-old suspect Gokmen Tanis left a handwritten letter in a getaway car that said in Dutch: “I’m doing this for my religion, you kill Muslims and you want to take our religion away from us, but you won’t succeed.”ADVERTISEMENTBRUSSELS (AP) — Dutch prosecutors said Monday they have a “strong indication” that a man accused of fatally shooting four passengers on a tram in the central city of Utrecht in March had a “terrorist motive.”
In a written statement following a preliminary hearing at Utrecht District Court, prosecutors said 37-year-old suspect Gokmen Tanis left a handwritten letter in a getaway car that said in Dutch: “I’m doing this for my religion, you kill Muslims and you want to take our religion away from us, but you won’t succeed. Allah is great.”
The March 18 shooting prompted authorities to advise Utrecht residents to stay indoors and to briefly raise the Dutch terror alert warning to its maximum level while police swarmed through the city hunting for the gunman.
Tanis, a Utrecht resident of Turkish descent, was arrested hours after the shooting and is being held on charges including multiple murder or manslaughter with terrorist intent for the deaths of three men and a woman. Two other people were seriously injured.
Prosecutors added that their suspicions of a terrorist motive also stem from two statements Tanis gave to an investigating judge before refusing to answer any further questions, and from the fact that he opened fire on people he did not know in a tram.
ADVERTISEMENTProsecutors said in March that Tanis had confessed to the attack.
He will shortly be admitted to a specialist center to undergo psychological observation, prosecutors said. His trial is expected to start early next year.
The Truth Must be Told
Your contribution supports independent journalism
Please take a moment to consider this. Now, more than ever, people are reading Geller Report for news they won't get anywhere else. But advertising revenues have all but disappeared. Google Adsense is the online advertising monopoly and they have banned us. Social media giants like Facebook and Twitter have blocked and shadow-banned our accounts. But we won't put up a paywall. Because never has the free world needed independent journalism more.
Everyone who reads our reporting knows the Geller Report covers the news the media won't. We cannot do our ground-breaking report without your support. We must continue to report on the global jihad and the left's war on freedom. Our readers’ contributions make that possible.
Geller Report's independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our work is critical in the fight for freedom and because it is your fight, too.
Please contribute here.
or
Make a monthly commitment to support The Geller Report – choose the option that suits you best.
ADVERTISEMENT
Quick note: We cannot do this without your support. Fact. Our work is made possible by you and only you. We receive no grants, government handouts, or major funding.Tech giants are shutting us down. You know this. Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Adsense, Pinterest permanently banned us. Facebook, Google search et al have shadow-banned, suspended and deleted us from your news feeds. They are disappearing us. But we are here.
Subscribe to Geller Report newsletter here— it’s free and it’s essential NOW when informed decision making and opinion is essential to America's survival. Share our posts on your social channels and with your email contacts. Fight the great fight.
Follow Pamela Geller on Gettr. I am there. click here.
Follow Pamela Geller on Trump's social media platform, Truth Social. It's open and free.
Remember, YOU make the work possible. If you can, please contribute to Geller Report.
Join The Conversation. Leave a Comment.
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spammy or unhelpful, click the ... symbol to the right of the comment to let us know. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.
