Dutch gunman used three weapons in shooting spree

The man who went on a shooting rampage in a suburban Dutch shopping mall fired more than 100 rounds in a few minutes as he killed six shoppers, before turning one of his weapons on himself, Dutch prosecutors have said.

Tristan van der Vlis, 24, used three different guns during Saturday's attack at the busy Ridderhof mall in the central city of Alphen aan den Rijn, prosecutors said in a statement after police had studied video images from security cameras.

Van der Vlis shot one man before entering the mall, then walked back and forth firing from three guns as terrified shoppers cowered behind shelves and in the back of shops.

A team of national prosecutors is investigating how Van der Vlis could have been granted permits under tough Dutch gun control laws for the three weapons despite prior run-ins with the law and a stay at a psychiatric institution in 2006.