Dutch police and prosecutors are questioning two suspects as they investigate whether a deadly shooting on a tram in the central city of Utrecht was an act of terror.
Police spokesman Joost Lanshage said Wednesday that officers arrested a 40-year-old man in Utrecht on Tuesday and released two other men detained earlier. The alleged shooter, 37-year-old Gokmen Tanis, remains in custody.
A man opened fire on a tram on Monday, killing two men and a woman and seriously injuring three others.
People lay flowers at a makeshift memorial site for the victims of a shooting incident in a tram in Utrecht, Netherlands, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. A gunman killed three people and wounded others on a tram in the central Dutch city of Utrecht Monday March 18, 2019. (AP PhotoPeter Dejong)
Prosecutors say they are seriously considering an extremist motive after finding a note in a suspected getaway car after the attack, and because of the nature of the shooting, but have not ruled out other possible motives.
Lanshage says, "we are looking into every lead there is."
Women representing Utrecht's Muslim community lay a wreath at a makeshift memorial for the victims of a shooting incident in a tram in Utrecht, Netherlands, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. A gunman killed three people and wounded others on a tram in the central Dutch city of Utrecht Monday March 18, 2019. (AP PhotoPeter Dejong)
Children lay flowers at a makeshift memorial site for the victims of a shooting incident in a tram in Utrecht, Netherlands, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. A gunman killed three people and wounded others on a tram in the central Dutch city of Utrecht Monday March 18, 2019. (AP PhotoPeter Dejong)
SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgarians began withdrawing euros for the first time on Thursday after the former communist nation joined the euro currency union as its 21st member.
Cash machines in the capital, Sofia, dispensed brand new euro banknotes, replacing the lev, which will still be in use for cash payments in January. However, people will receive only euros in change.
The country of nearly 6.7 million people was one of the poorest when it first became a member of the European Union in 2007. Joining the European single-currency system means deeper EU integration after its 1989 transition from a Soviet-style economy to democracy and free markets.
However, the historic milestone arrives amid political instability, with the conservative-led government forced to resign earlier this month following nationwide anti-corruption protests, and skepticism among ordinary people, fueled by fears of price rises.
The government had to beat down inflation to 2.7% earlier this year to comply with EU rules and win approval from EU leaders. But its resignation left the country without a regular budget for next year, hampering reforms and the use of the 27-member bloc's support funds, fueling protests.
Nationalist and pro-Russian groups in Bulgaria have also exploited fears that the switch to the euro will allegedly lead to more poverty and loss of national identity.
Countries that join the EU commit to the euro, but actually joining can take years and some members are in no hurry. Croatia was the last to join in 2023.
A woman poses as she holds new euro coins with Bulgarian symbols in Sofia in front of Bulgarian National Bank, Saturday Dec. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)
A map of Bulgaria with the EU symbol is projected on the Bulgarian National Bank as people celebrate New Year's Eve and Bulgaria's adoption of the euro in Sofia, Bulgaria, Thursday Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)
A woman holds sparklers during the celebration of the New Year and Bulgaria's adoption of euro in front of Bulgarian National Bank in Sofia, enlighten by Euro coins projection, Thursday Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)
Bulgarians sing and shout as they celebrate the New Year and Bulgaria's adoption of the euro in front of the Bulgarian National Bank in Sofia, Bulgaria, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)
