Five years since Utrecht tram mass shooting that left four dead, others hurt

The city of Utrecht paused on Monday to remember the mass shooting on a tram that left four people dead and several others injured exactly five years ago. The bells in the city’s iconic Dom Tower rang out at 10:43 a.m., the exact moment of the attack on 24 Oktoberplein on March 18, 2019. Flags in the city also flew at half-staff.

“Five years ago, the unimaginable happened at this place. Inside sneltram 61, a man began shooting at everything around him,” said Mayor Sharon Dijksma during a speech at the square where the attack happened. The victims were identified as Roos Verschuur, 19, a 28-year-old named Daniël, a 74-year-old named Willem, and Rinke Terpstra, a 49-year-old who died after helping five others get to safety.

“For many of those involved, it is still March 18, 2019 every day,” Dijksma told the hundreds of people gathered on 24 Oktoberplein. “Utrecht lost its innocence on that day. Suddenly there was the realization that a terrorist attack is not just something from far away. In a place where you should feel safe, the unthinkable happened.”

Those in attendance included first responders, witnesses, and surviving relatives of those who died that day. Dijksma noted the painful impact the incident had on the entire city. “I have recovered, but the dent I suffered from the tram attack will no longer go away,” said one witness at the event.

A moment of silence was held, and flowers were placed at the memorial for the victims. Jan van Zanen, the current mayor of The Hague, was also present at the emotional commemoration. Van Zanen was Utrecht’s mayor at the time of the attack.

Gökmen T. was arrested hours after the attack following an extended manhunt. His trial was marked by moments of outbursts and chaos, and he was ultimately found guilty. T. was sentenced to life in prison. T. “sowed death and destruction in broad daylight, with no other purpose than to take lives,” the court ruled in the case.

During his trial, he was repeatedly ejected from the courtroom for incidents including spitting at his own attorney, spitting at members of the court, and laughing during testimony about the victims and surviving relatives. Soon after, he was also tried and convicted for rape, and was later convicted in a series of violent incidents that took place in the years following his incarceration.

Caretaker Justice Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz and her predecessor, Ferd Grapperhaus, also attended the ceremony along with local and provincial politicians. There were also workers from the Public Prosecution Service, mosque organizations and representatives of football clubs which had ties to the victims.

Following the coronavirus pandemic, the commemoration has been more or less the same each anniversary. Moving forward, the terrorist act will only be recognized during an official memorial every five years, instead of annually.