Here’s what we know so far about Rotterdam’s university hospital shooter

After yesterday’s shooting spree in Rotterdam killed three people, the question on everyone’s minds is simple: why did it happen? It turns out the suspect has a history of previous convictions and “psychotic behaviour.”

The suspect is a 32-year-old university student at Erasmus University Rotterdam called Fouad L. He appears to have acted alone, police report.

He is also decidedly not connected to any “rival drug gangs” that are often behind similar attacks in Rotterdam, NOS reports.

“Psychotic behaviour”

It is reported that the Public Prosecution Service had sent an email to the Erasmus Medical Centre prior to the shooting, warning them of Fouad L.’s “psychotic behaviour.”

This included cases of the assailant laughing “half naked in the garden on a pile of leaves” and a previous conviction for animal abuse. 

READ MORE | Dutch university hospital shooter kills three people, police confirm

Further investigation after the shooting spree reveals that Fouad L. had kept photos of stabbing victims on his phone.

The suspect is not new to having a criminal record; back in 2021, he abused and mauled a rabbit to the point that it needed to be put down by a veterinarian. He was consequently sentenced to 40 hours of community service.

Another allegation of animal cruelty arose when he reportedly shot a pigeon with a crossbow — however, he couldn’t be convicted due to insufficient evidence.

Connection to the victims

In terms of his connections to yesterday’s victims, the 39-year-old woman who was shot to death in her home (which Fouad L. himself lived within reach of) had allegedly reported the suspect for animal abuse on multiple occasions in the past.

As for his motives behind shooting a 43-year-old male general practitioner and teacher at Erasmus Medical Centre, some sources speculate that this could be due to getting rejected for a training position there.

Worrying 4Chan posts

Historically, Fuoad L. has used 4Chan as an outlet to complain about his education “sabotag[eing]” him, claiming that teachers secretly hoped he would fail his exams.

Records of the forum show that L. was angry about his neighbour filming his mistreatment of the rabbit, which he seems to dismiss as a “drunken” mistake.

The rant is concluded with a reference to his “brothers with Asperger’s” as well as the statement: “The whole world hates us. Death to normies.”

The police are still in the process of investigating the full explanation behind his motives.

A helpline has been set up for anyone who witnessed or was affected by the shooting.

Translation: #slachtofferhulp is available for anyone who witnessed or was involved in one of the shooting incidents in #Rotterdam . Call 0900-0101 or leave a message on the Victim Support website

Stay up to date with the latest news and updates on DutchReview.

Feature Image:Depositphotos
Ellen Ranebo
Ellen Ranebo
As someone half Swedish and half Irish who has lived in the Netherlands, the UK, and attended an American School, Ellen is a cocktail of various nationalities. Having had her fair share of bike accidents, near-death experiences involving canals, and miscommunications while living here (Swedish and Dutch have deceptively similar words with very different meanings), she hopes to have (and document) plenty more in future.

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