Alphen aan den Rijn shopping mall shooting

Alphen aan den Rijn shopping mall shooting
The location of Alphen aan den Rijn in the Netherlands
Location	Alphen aan den Rijn, Netherlands[1]
Coordinates	52°08′42″N 4°40′28″E / 52.144991°N 4.674446°E
Date	9 April 2011[1]
Target	Ridderhof Mall
Attack type	Mass murder, massacre, murder–suicide
Weapons	Smith & Wesson M&P15-22[2] .45-caliber Colt M1911 pistol .44-caliber Taurus Raging Bull revolver[3]
Deaths	7 (including the perpetrator)[4][5]
Non-fatal injuries	17[6]
Perpetrator	Tristan van der Vlis[7]

On 9 April 2011, six people were killed by a gunman who entered the Ridderhof mall in Alphen aan den Rijn, Netherlands,^[8] a town approximately 33 kilometres (21 mi) south-west of Amsterdam.^[9] Using a rifle, 24-year-old Tristan van der Vlis shot several people and then killed himself, reportedly with a different firearm.^[10] There were seven deaths, including the killer, and 17 wounded,^[7] making it the deadliest assault attack in the Netherlands since the 2009 attack on the Dutch Royal Family.^[11]

Shooting

Van der Vlis, wearing a bulletproof vest and armed with a semi-automatic Smith & Wesson M&P15-22, a stainless steel Colt M1911 .45-caliber pistol, and a Taurus Raging Bull .44 Magnum revolver,^[2] first got out of his black Mercedes-Benz and shot a person outside, then entered the Ridderhof mall and fired more than 100 rounds,^[12] killing six people and injuring another 17 before he took a pistol, and took his own life. Many shoppers in the centre panicked before it was evacuated and cordoned off.^[1] Later that day one of the injured victims succumbed to injuries, raising the total number of deceased to seven.^[13] The gunman had left a note in his car stating that explosives had been left in three malls in the city; these malls were subsequently evacuated.^[14] Children were among the victims, but they had suffered only mild injuries.^[15] Among the dead were three males aged 80, 49 and 42, and three females aged 91, 68 and 45.^[15]

Perpetrator

Tristan van der Vlis

The shooter was 24-year-old Tristan van der Vlis, who lived in an apartment complex in Alphen aan den Rijn with his parents.^[16] He had lived in Alphen since his childhood.^[17] According to the police, he was a member of a shooting association and possessed three firearms.^[18] He had a history of psychological and psychiatric problems, including paranoid schizophrenia; in 2006 he spent 10 days in a closed institution after attempting suicide.^[19] He tried to commit suicide at least twice in 2008.

Response

Prime Minister Rutte gives a speech at the remembrance ceremony on 10 April 2011

PM Mark Rutte at the Ridderhof memorial on 20 April 2011

The Netherlands Government Information Service, through a brief statement on Twitter, said Queen Beatrix was "speechless because of the great loss and sadness;"^[20] and politicians such as Minister of Security and Justice Ivo Opstelten expressed feelings of shock and tragedy.^[1][10]

Several thousand people attended a memorial service at the mall on 10 April. Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Minister Opstelten and acting Mayor of Alphen aan den Rijn Bas Eenhoorn were also present.^[21]

Copycat threats

Shortly after the shooting, police arrested a 17-year-old boy who threatened to carry out another mass shooting. The teenager from Rotterdam posted on Twitter:

» Haha Iraq is also coming to the Netherlands. This man in Alphen already has 6 kills on his name. I'm going to outdo him. «

After a backlash, the boy deleted the post and claimed it was a joke.^[22] Since then, four other people were arrested for making similar threats on Twitter.^[23]

References

1. "Six People Killed In Netherlands Shooting". Sky News Online. 9 April 2011. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
2. (Dutch) Geen volautomatisch wapen in Alphen, RTL Nieuws (13 April 2011)
3. De wapens van Tristan van der Vlis , De Telegraaf (14 April 2011)
4. "Dodental Alphen blijft op zeven". nu.nl (in Dutch). 11 April 2011. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
5. "Bloedbad in winkelcentrum Alphen". RTL Nieuws (in Dutch). 9 April 2011. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
6. Nine Injured in Shootout Still in Hospital, NIS News (12 April 2011)
7. "Schietpartij Alphen eist zevende leven". NOS nieuws (in Dutch). 9 April 2011. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
8. "Netherlands shooting 'kills six'". BBC News. 9 April 2011. Archived from the original on 10 April 2011. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
9. "Seven killed in Dutch shooting". Press Association. 9 April 2011. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
10. "Schietpartij Alphen a/d Rijn, een overzicht". NOS nieuws (in Dutch). 9 April 2011. Archived from the original on 11 April 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
11. Sekularac, Ivana (10 April 2011). "Dutch town in shock after shooting rampage". Reuters.
12. "Dutch mall shooter fired more than 100 times", Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 11 April 2011
13. "Schietpartij Ridderhof". Municipality Alphen aan den Rijn (in Dutch). 9 April 2011. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
14. "Dader liet briefje achter; 3 winkelcentra ontruimd". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). 9 April 2011. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
15. "Geen minderjarigen onder doden Alphen". NOS nieuws (in Dutch). 10 April 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
16. "Bezoek burgemeester Bas Eenhoorn aan ouders van Tristan". alphenaandenrijn.nl (in Dutch). 14 April 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
17. "Schutter Alphen is 24-jarige Tristan van der Vlis". Alphen.cc (in Dutch). 9 April 2011.
18. "Moeder vond afscheidsbrief in flat". NOS (in Dutch). 9 April 2011. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
19. "Schutter was al eerder suïcidaal". NOS nieuws (in Dutch). 10 April 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
20. "Dutch Royal family tweet". Retrieved 9 April 2011.
21. "Herdenking slachtoffers Alphen a/d Rijn". NOS nieuws (in Dutch). 10 April 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
22. BNO News (10 April 2011). "Dutch police arrest teen for threatening mass shooting on Twitter". wireupdate.com. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
23. "Vijf twitteraars opgepakt na schietpartij Alphen" (in Dutch). Elsevier. 11 April 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2011.