Three people have died and nine are injured after a shooting on a tram in the central Dutch city of Utrecht, according to police.
Three of the injured are in serious condition following the incident according to the mayor of Utrecht, Jan van Zanen.
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Emergency services, including heavily-armed officers, flooded the area after the shooting that happened at 10.45am local time on Monday morning on a tram at a busy traffic intersection.
READ MORE: Utrecht shooting: Eyewitnesses describe horror after shots fired on tram
Police have said that they are treating the incident as a possible terrorist attack with officers stating: "a possible terrorist motive is part of the investigation"
The Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is holding crisis talks with the government following the shooting and said he is "very worried".
In a statement, police said: "A shooting occurred on the 24 Oktoberplein in Utrecht. The incident has been reported at 10.45 hour.
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"Multiple people have been injured. The surrounding area has been cordoned off and we are investigating the matter."
A shooting occurred on the #24oktoberplein in #Utrecht. The incident has been reported at 10.45 hour. Multiple people have been injured. The surrounding area has been cordoned off and we are investigating the matter.
— Politie Utrecht (@PolitieUtrecht) March 18, 2019
Anti-terror police have since been deployed and schools have been put on lockdown.
The city has since been put on lockdown with the Mayor saying said that it is important that all people in Utrecht stay inside as much as possible.
It has been reported that police have yet to apprehend the shooter.
The mayor of Utrecht also said that it is possible that the shooter was not working alone. In a press conference he said: "Probably there is one perpetrator, but it is also possible that there are several perpetrators. That cannot be excluded."
Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg said in a statement that the "threat level has gone to five, exclusively for the Utrecht province," referring to the highest level.
"The culprit is still on the run. A terror motive cannot be excluded," he said in a Twitter message. He called on citizens to closely follow the indications of the local police.
Dutch police say they are looking for a least one person who might have fled by car.
Spokesman Bernhard Jens did not exclude that more people might be involved. "We want to try to catch the person responsible as soon as possible," Mr Jens said.
Multiple helicopters, including medical transportation, are on the scene.
People are being treated at the scene.
The police is investigating the shooting at the #24oktoberplein in Utrecht this morning. An possible terrorist motif is part of the investigation.
— Politie Utrecht (@PolitieUtrecht) March 18, 2019
The ambulance service in the Netherlands wrote on social media: "The Trauma Helicopters are deployed for a shooting incident in a tram in Utrecht. @PolitieUtrecht for latest updates, Please follow the incident."
The Royal Miltary Police have said in a statement that more checks will be carried out at buildings in the Netherlands: "In connection with the situation in #Utrecht is The Royal Military police increased vigilance at the airports and at other vital buildings in The Netherlands."
All mosques in Utrecht are closed as a precaution. "We did this in consultation with the police," says a spokesman for the Ulu Mosque, the largest mosque in Utrecht.
Pictures show the emergency services responding with a cordon being created by armed police on the scene.
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