European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Parliament President Antonio Tajani have pledged to support Netherlands in the wake of the mass shooting on board a tram in Utrecht Monday morning.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Monday that police are hunting for the suspect in the tram shooting.
“We are doing our utmost to try and find the perpetrator or perpetrators” in the Utrecht shooting,” he said.
“If indeed this is an act of terror, then of course there is only one response possible. And that response is as follows: That our state our democracy, we are stronger than fanatics and violence. We will not stop fighting intolerance ever,” he added.
I stand by the families of the victims of the Utrecht shooting and the Dutch authorities. Europe must be united in the face of violence and attacks on our citizens.
— Antonio Tajani (@EP_President) March 18, 2019
The Netherlands have largely escaped terror incidents in recent years. But Dutch police previously foiled what they described as a major terrorist attack last September when they arrested seven individuals in Rotterdam.