ALPEN AAN DEN RIJN--The gunman who shot dead six people at a shopping centre in the Dutch city of Alphen aan den Rijn fired more than 100 times, the Prosecutor's Office said Monday.
Three weapons found in the Ridderhof shopping mall in the commuter town had all been used by the gunman Tristan van der Vlis (24), the Prosecutor's Office said.
Questions are now being asked about why Van der Vlis was granted a gun licence, given his history of mental instability.
Dutch Gun Owners Association Director Sander Duisterhof told the AD newspaper that the police might have failed to apply the rules properly in Van der Vlis' case.
As a teenager he had been questioned by the police in connection with an air gun incident and he spent 10 days in a psychiatric institution in 2009 with severe suicidal thoughts.
Members of a gun club may apply for a licence to own weapons after being a member for a year. The licence must be renewed annually and involves a police check.
Nine people who survived Saturday's shooting remain in hospital and at least one is in a critical condition.
Two people were killed in another shooting incident in Alphen aan den Rijn just one week ago. Two others were wounded. The police suspect last week's shooting was settling a score between criminals. The two victims remain in hospital.
One man was killed in an explosion in an apartment building in early December 2010. Dozens of apartments in the building were seriously damaged. Police investigators concluded the man had committed suicide.
The city government has also been through a period of turbulence. Three city officials stepped down in rapid succession in January, including Mayor Wim de Gelder and two city executives. Their resignations came in the wake of rumours, later proven unfounded, that city officials had been involved in corruption.
Interim Mayor Bas Eenhoorn was appointed to help polish the city's damaged public image.
Alphen aan den Rijn is one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands. The name comes from the Roman town located near a bridge over the Old Rhine named Castellum Albanianae, which is Latin for "town on the white water."
In the first and second century Before Christ, the town became an important trade centre in the region.
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