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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 3 March 2020
Dutch terror trial starting for deadly Utrecht tram shooting

By MIKE CORDER his motives. I lost my brother
Associated Press and nothing can bring him
UTRECHT, Netherlands (AP) back."
— The gunman in last year's The court played an ani-
attack in the Dutch city of mated video reconstruc-
Utrecht walked calmly into tion of the attack based on
and around a tram, shoot- images from surveillance
ing at passengers from cameras in the tram. It
close range while shouting showed the shooter carry-
"Allahu akbar," or "Allah Ak- ing a pistol with a silencer
bar," according to witness attached walking through
statements read Monday the tram, shooting passen-
as the terror trial of the sus- gers from close range, after
pect got underway. the weapon initially failed
The attack left four people to work.
dead and three wounded There were 17 people, in-
and shocked the Nether- cluding a young couple
lands, which has avoided and their child in a stroller,
the large-scale terror at- in the tram carriage where
tacks that have hit near- the shooting happened.
by nations Belgium and In this Monday March 18, 2019, file image, the body of one of three victims is covered with a white Van Veldhuisen said that
France. sheet as it lies next to a tram after a shooting incident in Utrecht, Netherlands. the silencer was adorned
The alleged shooter, Gok- Associated Press with texts referring to Islam
men Tanis — bearded and that forensic tests later es-
handcuffed — sat flanked siding judge asked if he had which a gunman killed 51 shooting, watched the pro- tablished were written by
by guards and police in a yawned because he was people at two mosques. ceedings from the public Tanis.
courtroom packed with rel- nervous. He later refused to Tanis gave no answer. The gallery, sitting a few meters The reconstruction showed
atives of victims as Presid- answer repeated questions judge said that a nephew (feet) behind the suspect. the gunman jumping out
ing Judge Ruud van Veld- from Van Veldhuisen. had sent Tanis video imag- "I want a life sentence. of the tram and walking
huisen read out statements "Do you not dare? Do you es of the Christchurch mas- Preferably a double life toward cars stopped at
given to police by witness- now want" to answer ques- sacre. sentence, but that doesn't traffic lights where he ap-
es to the mass shooting on tions? Van Veldhuisen Later, Tanis was removed exist here," she said outside peared to pause to de-
March 18 last year. asked. from the hearing and taken court. cide where to shoot next.
Tanis, 38, said nothing The judge asked Tanis if to a separate room to fol- Terpstra said she was not He pointed his pistol at a
throughout the hear- his actions had been in re- low proceedings after he concerned that Tanis said car and shot through the
ing Monday morning. He sponse to the shooting in spat at his court-appointed nothing. windshield. The driver, iden-
smiled as he entered the the New Zealand city of lawyer. "I don't think he has much tified in court only by his first
courtroom and stared Christchurch, just days be- Thea Terpstra, whose broth- interesting to tell us," she name, Willem, died some
straight ahead as the pre- fore the tram shooting, in er Rinke was killed in the said. "I don't have to know 10 days later.q

Putin's new amendments revere God, ban same sex marriages

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV it the final approval next ing to protect the nation's
Associated Press week, setting the stage for other ethnic groups.
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian a nationwide vote on April And in sync with propos-
President Vladimir Putin on 22. als to outlaw disparaging
Monday submitted a slew Following up on propos- the Soviet role in WW II vic-
of new proposed amend- als from a Kremlin working tory, Putin added an article
ments to the country's group that worked in paral- pledging to protect "historic
Constitution that include a lel with lawmakers, Putin on truth" and forbid "belittling
mention of God and de- Monday presented 24 pag- the people's heroic protec-
scribe marriage as a het- es of additional amend- tion of the Motherland."
erosexual union. ments for the second read- The amendment comes
Putin first proposed amend- ing set for March 10. as Russia prepares to cel-
ing the constitution in Janu- Lawmakers say they in- ebrate the 75th anniversary
ary's state-of-the-nation clude an article that points Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a meeting with of victory in World War II —
speech, saying it is neces- to a millennium-long Rus- members of a working group created to discuss constitutional the nation's most important
sary to broaden the pow- sian history and pledges amendments in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020. holiday.
ers of parliament and bol- homage to "ancestors who Associated Press The new set of amend-
ster democracy. Kremlin bequeathed to us their ide- ments doesn't offer any
foes have described the als and a belief in God." long-stated opposition to — or any other territory. He clue, however, what po-
proposed changes as part The amendment follows same-sex marriages. added an amendment sition Putin may take to
of Putin's efforts to remain in a proposal by the Russian The president also respond- that prohibits surrendering continue calling the shots
charge after his current six- Orthodox Church to add ed to a working group any part of Russian territory after his term ends. The
year term ends in 2024. a reference to God to the member's suggestion to and outlaws making calls 67-year-old Russian leader
The Kremlin-controlled par- Constitution. add wording that would for that. has been in power for more
liament quickly endorsed Another amendment de- prevent any future Rus- Another proposal under- than 20 years, making him
Putin's draft in the first of scribes marriage as a "union sian ruler from giving away lines a special status of Rus- the nation's longest-serving
three required readings last of a man and a woman," a Ukraine's Crimea — an- sians as a "state-forming" leader since Soviet dictator
month, and is set to give wording in sync with Putin's nexed from Ukraine in 2014 ethnic group while pledg- Josef Stalin.q