crime
Large police operation in Amsterdam because of hostage-taking
Police vehicles in the center of Amsterdam. Photo: Evert Elzinga/ANP/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Eyewitnesses hear shots, a special task force is on site. A helicopter is also in action.
Several people were released during a hostage-taking in a computer shop in the center of Amsterdam that was still ongoing on Tuesday evening. They had left the building unharmed, the police reported, without first giving an exact number. Media reported dozens of people.
According to police information, an armed man robbed the Apple store and took at least one hostage. For security reasons, nothing more “is communicated regarding the situation in and around the building,” the police wrote on Twitter in the evening. It was therefore still unclear how many people were in the building and how many were being held by the man.
Images and videos were shared on social media of a man in the store threatening another unarmed man with a gun. Eyewitnesses also reported in the media that they had heard several shots. Police squads were quickly on the spot. The Leidseplein was cleared and cordoned off, theaters and cafes on the square were closed. A helicopter was also used.
