Apple Store hostage suspect in one of Amsterdam's main squares, a 27-year-old man from the city, demanded 200 million euros in cryptocurrency and was transported 'seriously injured' at the hospital, according to local authorities.
The hostage and four people who had hidden in a closet without the suspect's knowledge are safe and appear to be in good health, city authorities confirmed at a news conference last night.
The Apple Store in the city of Amsterdam will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday, and the Apple brand's two other stores in the Netherlands, located in Haarlem and The Hague, will remain closed on Wednesday, their websites show.
For nearly five hours late Tuesday afternoon, the hostage-taking kept the residents of the area around Leidseplein in suspense, a place in the center of Amsterdam popular with locals and tourists, especially for its many bars and cafes.
Five hours under tension
The first officers dispatched to the scene were targeted by shots with an automatic weapon, the police chief said.
It soon emerged that the suspect also had a gun and footage suggested he may be wearing an explosive vest.
Many people were able to leave the building but the man directly took a person hostage, a 44-year-old British customer according to local media, by holding him under the shoulder.
More than 70 people were evacuated from the building where the Apple store was located, said Amsterdam police chief Frank Paauw.
But four people were unable to leave the building and had taken refuge in a closet on the ground floor.
The square surrounding the store was quickly cordoned off, cafes and theaters closed.
People present in the square when the hostage-taking began were asked to take refuge in cafes, according to police orders, and journalists were kept at a distance.
The hostage hailed as a "hero"
The man taken hostage asked for water around 10:30 p.m., with the agreement of the police.
He exited the building and ran away, quickly followed by the hostage taker who was immediately run over by a law enforcement vehicle.
"I also find that the hostage played a kind of hero role," said Frank Paauw.
“In fractions of a second, he managed to make a breakthrough” which ended the hostage-taking, he added.
Police examined the man lying in the street using a robot and found that he "did not have any explosives on his body", she said on Twitter.
He was then taken seriously injured to the hospital and no news has meanwhile been given on his state of health.
Investigations are ongoing.
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Netherlands: Hostage taking ended in an Apple Store in Amsterdam, the armed man arrested
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