2023 Rotterdam shootings

The shootings began on 28 September 2023 at around 14:10 CEST, when the Rotterdam-Rijnmond safety region received reports of a fire and explosions at a residence on the Heiman Dullaertplein in Delfshaven, Rotterdam. The explosive sounds reported were later believed to have originated from gunfire within the residence. The suspected perpetrator left the Erasmus Medical Center at around 15:30, wearing a bulletproof vest and carrying a gun. He was taken into custody by police underneath the hospital's helipad. ==Victims==

A 39-year-old mother was killed in her house on Heiman Dullaertplein, and her 14-year-old daughter suffered serious injuries from which she later died. A 43-year-old general practitioner and teacher of the Erasmus University Faculty of Medicine was fatally shot at the Erasmus University Medical Center. ==Perpetrator==

A 32-year-old Rotterdam resident was arrested after the shootings. He was identified by Dutch authorities as Fouad Lakhlili from Rotterdam (born 11 February 1991 in Utrecht), a student of the Erasmus University medical school, and had previously been convicted of animal cruelty. He was described by prosecutors as showing signs of "psychotic behavior" in a warning sent to the hospital prior to the shooting. Neighbors of the suspect claimed that there had been repeated behavior that had been reported to police, but every time police came by the curtains would be closed and the suspect would never open his door. An email sent by the Dutch public prosecution service to the teaching hospital that he attended which described this behavior, was posted by the suspect to an online forum. In the forum he described himself as an alcoholic and claimed that he was unable to finish his degree due to teachers "sabotaging" him. On 21 February 2025, Fouad Lakhlili was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the shootings. ==Aftermath==

Classes were canceled at Erasmus University Medical Center and students were invited to gather near the building involved to hold a memorial and mourn. ==Reactions==

Rotterdam's mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb called the incidents a "pitch-black day" for the city, while outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte expressed his condolences to those affected. ==See also==