Three men shot dead – police arrest Rotterdam shooter

The motive of the gunman, who murdered three men on the street within more than two weeks for no apparent reason, remains unclear, Dutch police said. A 20-year-old from Amsterdam who has since been arrested was released. Word was he wasn’t the person they were looking for.

A large number of perpetrators were sought
Police had launched a major search for the gunman who last attacked an 81-year-old man on Thursday morning. The pensioner was found seriously injured in a flower bed and later died in a clinic.

Previously, a 58-year-old and a 63-year-old Rotterdam man were shot dead on the street by the unknown man, both in a remote location and, like the 81-year-old, in the IJsselmonde district.

Victims who have no criminal background
As the newspaper De Telegraaf reported in response to the police, the victims were not known from the criminal environment. The investigators therefore did not assume that there was a settlement or a criminal conflict.

A reward of 30,000 euros was offered
The Public Prosecution Service recently offered a reward of 30,000 euros for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrator. Researchers initially did not want to say how they tracked down the 24-year-old. Police had also published several mug shots showing the possible perpetrator before two of his shooting attacks.

In the neighborhood where the shooter struck, the police had been on the streets with a large contingent for days.