Multiple people have been injured in a shooting on or near a tram in city of Utrecht in Netherlands which could prove to be a terrorist attack.

The Utrecht tram shooting occurred at about 10:45 local time (09:45 GMT) on Monday, the Dutch Police announced on Twitter.

It said the ongoing investigation of the Utrecht shooting is taking into account a potential terrorist motive was being taken into account.

Three helicopters have been despatched, the shooting site has been cordoned off by the security forces.

The police operation over the possible terrorist attack in Utrecht is still ongoing, with numerous ambulances and emergency vehicles on the stop.

The tram shooting occurred near the 24 Oktoberplein junction in Utrecht, with anti-terrorism police being on the scene, the Dutch police confirmed on Twitter.

As the police operation progressed, there were reports that at least one person was feared dead as a result of wounds sustained during the Utrecht tram shooting.

The shooting caused a temporary halt of public transport throughout Utrecht as well as the lockdown of schools, Utrecht University buildings, and religious temples.

With the gunman remaining at large in the immediate aftermath of the likely terrorist attack in Utrecht, heavily armed Dutch counter-terrorism police were seen gathering outside a house near the shooting location in apparent preparation to raid it.

The National Coordinator for Security and Counter-terrorism of the Netherlands, PJ Aalbersberg, announced on Twitter that the threat level had been raised to the highest possible for the city of Utrecht.

“We cannot rule out terrorist motive. Crisis team is activated,” Aalbersberg tweeted on the police operation responding to the Utrecht tram shooting.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said he was “deeply concerned” by the likely terrorist attack in the tram shooting in Utrecht, and canceled his weekly coalition talks.

Find more details about the Utrecht tram shooting here as the situation develops.

(Banner image: Utrecht police on Twitter)