Second suspect in deadly shooting spree at Dutch shopping mall

Second suspect in deadly shooting spree at Dutch shopping mall

2011-07-10 06:36:56 GMT+7 (ICT)

THE HAGUE (BNO NEWS) -- Police have identified a second suspect who allegedly knew of a gunman's deadly plan to attack a shopping mall in the Netherlands, the country's prosecutor's office said on Saturday.

The shooting attack took place on April 9 when 24-year-old Tristan van der Vlis opened fire with a semi-automatic weapon at the Ridderhof mall in Alphen aan den Rijn, located in the country's west near Amsterdam. A total of 7 people were killed, including the gunman, while 17 others were injured.

On Saturday, a statement from the country's prosecutor's office said a man has been identified who was allegedly aware of Van der Vlis' plans but made no effort to warn police. "This man is being suspected of being aware of Van der V.'s plans to kill himself and possibly others," the statement said.

"Because the suspect did not report Van der V.'s plans to police, he has possibly committed an offense. The prosecutor's office in The Hague has therefore decided to prosecute this man," the statement added, giving no specific details about how much the suspect knew.

The suspect, who was not immediately identified, is suspected of violating a law which requires a person to notify police when receiving information about the intention to commit certain crimes. The maximum penalty for the offense is one year in prison.

Also on Saturday, Dutch broadcaster NOS cited sources within the Justice department as saying that police made a mistake when giving Van der Vlis a license to carry weapons. Van der Vlis had previously been registered after an incident with an air gun, which should have made it impossible for him to receive such a license.

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