Three shot dead in Amsterdam

Three people have been shot dead by a gunman who opened fire in a Japanese restaurant in Amsterdam.

Police said the attack, in the Nieuwezjdsvoorburgwal street in the centre of the city, took place in the early evening as diners were settling down for a meal.

One of the victims - two men and one woman - died instantly and the other two shortly afterwards at the scene.

Police question people outside the restaurant

Spokesman Arie van Zandbergen said police had cordoned off the area and called in a helicopter to help search for the attacker, but gave up the chase later in the evening.

He said paramedics had tried in vain to resuscitate the victims, who have not yet been identified.

Drugs suspicions

Correspondents say there have been a spate of killings in the Netherlands recently which police attribute to fighting between rival drugs gangs.

In one incident in June one of Ireland's biggest heroin traffickers, Derek Dunne, was shot dead in the city.