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 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-automaticSmith & Wesson M&P15-22, a stainless steel Colt M1911.45-caliberpistol, and a Taurus Raging Bull.44 Magnumrevolver,[2] first got out of his car 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 died from their 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 had only mild injuries.[15] Among the dead were three men aged 80, 49 and 42, and three women aged 91, 68 and 45.[15] The first victim was a poet and journalist from Syria who had escaped an assassination attempt, only to be killed by Van der Vlis after fleeing from his home country to the Netherlands. This was a random killing, as Van der Vlis shot at his victims indiscriminately.
Perpetrator
Tristan van der Vlis
The shooter was 24-year-old Tristan van der Vlis (June 13, 1986 - April 9, 2011) 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 wanted to punish God by murdering "his creatures".[20]
Van der Vlis was obsessed with the 1999 Columbine High School massacre and chose the date of 9 April because it was the birthday of gunman Eric Harris, what would have been his 30th birthday. Van der Vlis started shooting at 12:08 pm because that was the time when Harris committed suicide.[21]
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.[25]
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.[26] Since then, four other people were arrested for making similar threats on Twitter.[27]
Aftermath
On 20 September 2019, the Supreme Court of the Netherlands (Hoge Raad) concluded that the police of Alphen aan den Rijn was at fault for distributing a firearms license to the perpetrator who obviously had a mental illness. Therefore, the police were held accountable for all damages suffered by the victims and their relatives.[28] After the shooting the police in the Netherlands had a surge of revoked licences and currently maintain a stricter enforcement of law regarding the possession of firearms.[29]
^"Schietpartij Ridderhof". Municipality Alphen aan den Rijn (in Dutch). 9 April 2011. Archived from the original on 11 April 2011. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
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