Injured people are carried out of a shopping centre in Alphen aan den Rijn following a shooting (AP Photo/www.regio15.nl)
12 April 2012
Church services are being held in a quiet Dutch suburb to mourn six people killed by a gunman at a crowded shopping mall.
Investigators are trying to discover his motive and explain how he was able to obtain and own automatic firearms legally in the Netherlands, where such weapons are widely thought to be banned.
The gunman, identified as 24-year-old Tristan van der Vlis, opened fire in the Ridderhof mall in Alphen aan den Rijn on Saturday. He killed six people and wounded 15 others, including an infant, before shooting himself in the head.
He left one suicide note and one threatening note, but neither gave a motive.
