According to foreign media reports, local time on Tuesday, an Apple retail store in the centre of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, took hostages and threatens to bomb the store and demands 200 million euros in cryptocurrency. The man took many hostages in the store and confronted the police for 5 hours. The local police said the gunman had been subdued and the hostages had been rescued.
“We are investigating the possible motives of the hostage-taker and the explosives he carried on his body,” police said in a statement. “Investigation has shown that the explosives were not ready to detonate.”
Videos and pictures posted by multiple Twitter accounts showed a large crowd of police outside the Apple retail store in Amsterdam’s Leidseplein, with one man pointing a gun at another man inside the store.
The man was strapped with bombs on his body and equipped with a rifle and pistol. Police shouted through loudspeakers to those in the store, while other armed officers were stationed outside the store, clearing and sealing off a nearby plaza and reminding people in the area to stay indoors.
A hostage requested for water but took the opportunity to escape, the suspect chased after him and was hit by a Police car.
The Amsterdam Police Service later issued a statement saying that during the confrontation, dozens of people managed to leave the building and all hostages had been rescued safely. Separately, police said they were collecting photos of the scene circulating on social media for their investigation.
The motive for the incident is unclear, according to foreign media, it is likely to be an attempted armed robbery.
#BREAKING: Hostage situation reported at an Apple Store in Amsterdam – a suspect appears to be holding one victim at gunpoint. #Leidseplein #Apple#Amsterdam #news #BreakingNews pic.twitter.com/PC5Us1UGre
— JUST IN | World (@justinbroadcast) February 22, 2022