The man arrested on Thursday night in connection with three fatal shootings in Rotterdam over the past 12 days was questioned earlier in the evening by investigators, local police chief Fred Westerbeke told a news conference on Friday.

The man was checked in a shop following a tip-off but allowed to go because he did not fully fit the description of the suspect at the time, Westerbeke said.

His identity was monitored and he was photographed, which helped lead to his arrest later on. The man has previous convictions for petty crime and was under social work supervision as a youngster.

The suspect, born in Curacao 24 years ago and raised in the Netherlands, was arrested shortly after 11 pm on the balcony of an apartment not far from his victims. Police also picked up a gun. According to Nu.nl, an acquaintance of the suspect lived in the property.

Police have not yet put together a motive for the killings.

Shocked locals told the Telegraaf that two women lived in the apartment and they had not seen the suspect before.

“We don’t know him but I am glad he has been arrested,” one neighbour said. “We’ve been through hell in the past few days. I did not dare to go out. I have six children but it could have happened to me too.”

The third victim, an 81-year-old man who was shot on Thursday morning, died of his injuries later in the day, taking the death toll to three. A 63-year-old man was shot dead on December 21 and a week later a 58-year-old man. All were shot in the head.

All the victims were apparently random, with no criminal connections, and police had urged people living in the area to be extremely cautious while outside.

On Thursday evening, the police had issued a new photograph of the suspect and said that a reward of €30,000 had been offered for information leading to his arrest.