Historical eventApril 92011

Alphen aan den Rijn shopping mall shooting

Six people and the perpetrator are killed and 17 injured in a mass shooting at a shopping mall in Alphen aan den Rijn, Netherlands.

Everything on April 9Original source

In context

When
Saturday, April 9 201115 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
21st century · 2010s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 2011.

What came beforeAI-assisted

The Netherlands had experienced relatively few mass shootings in its modern history. The deadliest previous attack was a 2009 incident targeting the Dutch royal family, which killed six people.

Catalyst / how it startedAI-assisted

Tristan van der Vlis, 24, entered the Ridderhof shopping mall in Alphen aan den Rijn on the afternoon of April 9, 2011, armed with a rifle. He began shooting at shoppers and staff without apparent warning or stated motive.

Who was involvedAI-assisted

The shooter was Tristan van der Vlis, a 24-year-old Dutch resident. Six civilians were killed and 17 others were wounded before van der Vlis killed himself with a different firearm.

TimelineAI-assisted

April 9, 2011: Van der Vlis opened fire at the Ridderhof mall in Alphen aan den Rijn in the afternoon. He killed six people and wounded 17 others before taking his own life, resulting in seven total deaths including the shooter.

What happened

On 9 April 2011, six people were killed by a gunman who entered the Ridderhof mall in Alphen aan den Rijn, Netherlands, a town approximately 33 kilometres (21 mi) south-west of Amsterdam. Using a rifle, 24-year-old Tristan van der Vlis shot several people and then killed himself, reportedly with a different firearm. There were seven deaths, including the killer, and 17 wounded,

April 9 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 2009Tbilisi
  2. 2011Alphen aan den Rijn shopping mall shooting
  3. 20132013 Bushehr earthquake
  4. 2013Velika Ivanča shooting
  5. 20142014 Franklin Regional High School stabbing
  6. 2017Palm Sunday church bombings
  7. 2020Soyuz MS-16
  8. 2021Soyuz MS-18
  9. 2021Tatmadaw
  10. 2021Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
  11. 2021Myanmar civil war (2021–present)

Also in 2011

  • May 112011 Lorca earthquakeAn earthquake registering Mw 5.1, the worst to hit the region for more than 50 years, struck near Lorca, Spain.
  • May 11Istanbul ConventionThe Istanbul Convention is signed in Istanbul, Turkey.
  • September 11National September 11 Memorial & MuseumA dedication ceremony is held at the United States National September 11 Memorial on the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks in…
  • September 15Gleision Colliery mining accidentFour miners are killed in the Gleision Colliery mining accident in the Swansea Valley, Wales.
  • September 17AdbustersAdbusters, a Canadian anti-consumerist publication, organized a protest against corporate influence on democracy at Zuccotti Park in New…
  • September 17Occupy Wall StreetOccupy Wall Street movement begins in Zuccotti Park, New York City.
  • September 182011 Sikkim earthquakeThe 2011 Sikkim earthquake is felt across northeastern India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and southern Tibet.
  • October 20Libyan civil war (2011)First Libyan Civil War: Muammar Gaddafi, the deposed Libyan leader, was captured by rebel forces during the Battle of Sirte, and was kill…

Everything we record for 2011 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Alphen aan den Rijn shopping mall shooting”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/alphen-aan-den-rijn-shopping-mall-shooting-2011-april-9, accessed October 28, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Alphen aan den Rijn shopping mall shooting happen?

April 9 2011 — 15 years ago, on a Saturday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints. Panels marked AI-assisted were filled where the sources left a heading empty.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.