Three Dutch commandos shot, wounded outside hotel in US

Three Dutch soldiers were shot and wounded early Saturday in a shooting in downtown Indianapolis after what local police believe was a disturbance outside the hotel where they were staying, authorities said.

The shooting occurred about 3:30 a.m. Eastern time in Indianapolis' entertainment district. Indianapolis police said officers found three men with gunshot wounds and they were taken to area hospitals.

The Dutch defence ministry said one of the men was in critical condition and the two others were conscious, while Indianapolis police said two of the soldiers were in critical condition and the third was stable.

The three soldiers were from the Commando Corps and were in Indiana for training when the shooting occurred during their free time in front of the hotel where they were staying, the Dutch ministry said.

No arrests have been made so far, authorities said.

Local police said they believed there had been an earlier altercation between the men and another person or group.

Speaking to local news channel FOX59, an officer with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said: "Right now the information we're willing to disclose is that it was not something that occurred inside the hotel.

"It was a previous altercation we believe at another location."

The Dutch defence ministry said the men's families had been informed and that an investigation by local police was under way.