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, South Holland, the Netherlands
Coordinates	52°08′42″N 4°40′28″E
Date	9 April 2011
Attack type	Mass murder Murder–suicide
Weapons	Automatic weapon
Deaths	7 (including the perpetrator)
Injured	16

On 9 April 2011, six people were killed by a gunman who entered the Ridderhof mall, in Alphen aan den Rijn, South Holland, the Netherlands, a town approximately 33 kilometres (21 mi) south-west of Amsterdam. Using a rifle, 24-year-old Tristan van der Vlis shot several people and then killed himself, reportedly with a different weapon. As of 9 April 18:30 CEST, seven deaths, including the killer, had been reported and "at least 16" wounded, making it the deadliest incident in the Netherlands since the 2009 attack on the Dutch royal family.

Shooting

A gunman who witnesses said was white, approximately aged 25, and had curly blond hair, entered the Ridderhof mall armed with an automatic weapon, and shot at least six people dead before turning a weapon on himself. Many shoppers in the centre panicked before it was evacuated and cordoned off. Later that day, one of the injured died of their injuries, raising the total number of dead to seven. The gunman left a note in his car stating that bombs had been left in three malls in the city; these malls were subsequently evacuated. Children were among the victims, but they have only mild injuries. Among the dead are three males aged 80, 49 and 42, and three females aged 91, 68 and 45.

Perpetrator

The shooter was 24-year-old Tristan van der Vlis who lived in an apartment complex in Alphen aan den Rijn with his father. He had lived in Alphen since his childhood. According to the police, he was a member of a shooting association and possessed three firearms. He previously had psychological problems: in 2006 he spent 10 days in a closed institution after attempting suicide.

Response

The Netherlands Government Information Service, through a brief statement on Twitter, said Queen Beatrix was "speechless because of the great loss and sadness in Alphen a/d Rijn."

Minister of Justice Ivo Opstelten said he was "shocked" and called the event a "great tragedy for Alphen aan den Rijn and for the Netherlands as a whole".

The acting mayor of Alphen aan den Rijn, Bas Eenhoorn, offered condolences to the families of the victims. "It's hardly credible that our town could experience such slaughter, and on a day as beautiful as this," he said.

Several thousand people attended a memorial service at the mall on 10 April. Prime minister Mark Rutte and minister of justice Ivo Opstelten were also present. Rutte called the event a "drama that left deep wounds in the society of Alphen".