Utrecht terror alert raised to highest level after shooting

The Dutch anti-terror coordinator raises the threat alert to its highest level around the central Dutch town of Utrecht following a shooting incident on a tram in the city, with the shooter still on the run.

Anti-terror coordinator Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg says in a statement that the “threat level has gone to 5, exclusively for the Utrecht province,” referring to the highest level.

“The culprit is still on the run. A terror motive cannot be excluded,” he says in a Twitter message. He calls on citizens to closely follow the indications of the local police.

Dutch police say they are looking for a least one person who might have fled by car.

Spokesman Bernhard Jens does not exclude more people might be involved.

“We want to try to catch the person responsible as soon as possible,” Jens says.

— AP