(Dutch News) The man who shot four people dead on a tram in Utrecht has been assigned a lawyer after a court ruled he was mentally unfit to act in his own best interest.
Gökmen Tanis was not present at the court hearing in Utrecht on Monday, despite being ordered to attend. The judges heard that considerable force would have been needed to bring him to the courtroom.
Tanis, 37, is accused of four counts of murder or manslaughter with terrorist intent. He opened fire on a packed commuter tram on the morning of March 18 this year.
The chair of the judging panel said: “It is not for a suspect to dictate whether he appears or not, but under the circumstances the court will decline to force him to be present.”