An anti-EU party is poised to become the second-largest party in the senate, according to preliminary results for provincial elections. Without a majority, the ruling government will need to reach out to other parties.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/ANP
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The Netherlands' governing coalition is poised to lose its majority in the upper house due to a surge in support for a far-right populist party during regional elections, according to an exit poll published by Dutch broadcaster NOS.
Thierry Baudet, the leader of the Forum for Democracy, has derided women, religious minorities and migrantsImage: picture-alliance/dpa/ANP
Far-right surge
Forum for Democracy, a political upstart led by the hard-line Thierry Baudet, is expected to gain 10 seats, just two less than Prime Minister Rutte's conservative VVD Party.
The party used the Utrecht attack to shore up support for its far-right platforms. "You can tell what's going on anyway," Baudet told a rally. "This is a combination of an honor killing and a half-terrorist motive."
Baudet has courted controversy in the past, with factually incorrect statements such as "women in general excel less in jobs and have less ambition."
A gunman has opened fire in a tram in the Dutch city of Utrecht, with three people killed and seven injured in the shooting. The incident is being treated as a possible terrorist crime.
Image: Reuters/P. van de Wouw
Shooting on a tram
The shooting in Utrecht took place on a tram at around 10.45 a.m. (0945 UTC) in a residential neighborhood. Three people were killed in the attack.
Image: Reuters/P. van de Wouw
Fast deployment
Counterterrorism forces were quickly deployed to the scene at Utrecht's 24 Oktoberplein junction. Police are treating the incident as a possible case of terrorism.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/R. V. Lonkhuijsen
Several injured
The police said on Twitter that "multiple people have been injured." Ambulances arrived rapidly to transport them to hospital. Later, authorities said five people had been wounded.
Image: Reuters/P. van de Wouw
Manhunt for the attacker
The gunman escaped the scene of the crime and police have been trying to find him. Schools were told to keep their doors closed while the search was going on.
Image: Reuters/P. van de Wouw
Mounted police in action
Dutch police even deployed mounted forces as they tried to ensure public safety following the attack. The public has been warned to stay indoors.
Image: Reuters/P. van de Wouw
Suspect's photo published
Utrecht police published a photo of the suspected attacker caught by surveillance video. The named the man as Gökmen Tanis, a 37-year-old born in Turkey. They asked the public not to approach him and to call the authorities if they see him.
Image: Reuters/Utrecht Police
PM: We will never give in
Speaking at a press conference, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said "our democracy is stronger than fantacism and violence. We will never give in to intolerence."
