Silent march for victims of Utrecht shooting on Friday
A group of Utrecht residents are organizing a silent march for the victims of a shooting on 24 Oktoberplein. The march will start at 7:00 p.m. on Friday on Jaarbeursplein, from where participants will walk to the scene of the attack, NU.nl reports.
"We want do do this for Utrecht", one of the organizers said to DUIC. "We want to show that we will not be knocked apart. And that we are actually getting closer together and supporting each other in this time."
On Monday morning a man opened fire on a tram on 24 Oktoberplein. Three people were killed and five others were injured. After an hours long manhunt, the police arrested three suspects on Monday evening, including the suspected shooter. Suspected gunman Gokmen T. is still in custody. The other two were released and are no longer suspects. On Tuesday afternoon the police arrested a 40-year-old man from Utrecht. His involvement in the shooting is being investigated.
The investigation into the shooting is still in full swing. On Tuesday the Prosecutor announced that no connection was found between Gokmen T. and the victims, indicating that they were randomly chosen. Based on this, and a letter found in the getaway car, the police are "seriously taking into account" that this was a terrorist attack. Though other motives are also being investigated. On Thursday the Prosecutor said that T. acted alone with "terrorist intent".
The residents of Utrecht already expressed their solidarity and grief in multiple ways over the past days, including by casting their vote in the Provincial States election on Wednesday. The turnout in Utrecht was much higher than expected. A drawing of a crying Nijntje next to the flag of the city of Utrecht, made by an Utrecht resident, has become the unofficial symbol of these feelings. Mayor Jan van Zanen placed the drawing next to the condolence register in the city hall.
