Dutch police on Wednesday said they had arrested a new suspect in a shooting that killed three people and injured seven others on a tram in the city of Utrecht, as they investigated whether there was a terrorist motive behind the attack.

Officers from a specialized arrest team detained the 40-year-old man in Utrecht on Tuesday and released two other men that had been detained earlier, said police spokesman Joost Lanshage.

A spokesman for public prosecutors, Ties Kortmann, said that the investigation is probing hte motive of the suspects and into the possible involvement of the man arrested on Tuesday. "We are looking at the role of the new suspect," he added. The suspect's identity has not been released.

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The alleged shooter, 37-year-old Gokmen Tanis, remains in custody and prosecutors have until Friday to question the Turkey-born suspect. Tanis will then appear before an investigating judge who could extend his detention.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country's intelligence agency was also "looking into" the attack.

Police investigate terror motive

Police said a terrorist motive was being seriously considered after a note was found in the getaway car — a red Renault Clio that the suspect had carjacked before the attack and used to flee the scene afterwards. They had also found a firearm after his arrest.

Police appeared to rule out reports that the shooting was due to a family dispute, after Turkish media outlets reported such a connection on the day of the shooting.

"Our investigation has established no link between the main suspect and the victims," the statement added.

Populist parties gain

Dutch citizens on Wednesday took to provincial polls. Observers said the arrest of the Turkish-born suspect would likely boost Dutch populist parties.

Pre-election polls showed Prime Minister Mark Rutte's center-right coalition would likely lose its majority in the Senate. The attack is expected to also lead to the strongest-ever showing by two populist parties.

"It's 100 percent clear that the coalition will book major losses," pollster Maurice de Hond said in an election preview.

A snap poll conducted after the shooting showed that determination to turn out and vote had grown among populists, while support for traditional parties remained lackluster.

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Shooting in Dutch city of Utrecht 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.

Shooting in Dutch city of Utrecht 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.

Shooting in Dutch city of Utrecht 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.

Shooting in Dutch city of Utrecht 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.

Shooting in Dutch city of Utrecht 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.

Shooting in Dutch city of Utrecht 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.

Shooting in Dutch city of Utrecht 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."



'Close call'

Hond, drawing on the events of 2002, when populist Pim Fortuyn was assassinated just before national elections, forecast a combined result of up to 25 percent for populists.

"It will be a close call as to whether the coalition plus even just one other opposition party" will be able to command a majority after the new Senate is seated in May.

The Dutch right-wing scene has been dominated by the Freedom party of Geert Wilders for a decade and has been transformed in the past two years by the rapid growth of a second populist party, The Forum for Democracy.

The Forum for Democracy has followed the lead of US President Donald Trump and emphasized "Netherlands First" cultural and economic policies.

The party's leader, 36-year-old Thierry Baudet, shocked other political parties this week by blaming the government for the Utrecht attack on the same day as the shooting, while others had suspended campaigning.

law/msh (AFP, AP, Reuters)

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