Standoff ends at Amsterdam Apple Store, hostage secure

An hours-long hostage standoff on the Apple Store in Amsterdam ended late Tuesday with police in a automotive driving into the hostage taker as he ran from the shop. His hostage was secure, police stated.

“We can confirm that the hostage taker is out of the Apple Store,” police stated in a tweet. “He is lying on the street and a robot is checking him for explosives. Armed police officers have him under control from a distance. The hostage is safe.”

Police then stated that the person didn’t have explosives and that medical employees had been attending to him. There was no phrase on his situation.

The motive for the incident was not instantly clear. Local broadcaster AT5 instructed the standoff was the results of an tried armed theft. AT5 stated witnesses reported listening to photographs fired.

Dozens of police, together with closely armed specialist arrest groups, massed across the retailer, cleared and sealed off the close by Leidseplein sq. and urged individuals dwelling there or in outlets or cafes close by to stay indoors. The sq. ringed by bars and eating places is near one of many Dutch capital’s fundamental purchasing streets.

Police stated dozens of individuals managed to depart the constructing in the course of the standoff however declined to provide extra particulars in regards to the state of affairs within the fashionable retailer.

As police strains had been set as much as maintain individuals away from the shop, a helicopter may very well be heard hovering overhead. The police requested individuals to not publish photos or livestream the hostage state of affairs “for the safety of the people involved and our deployment.”

Earlier, video posted on social media appeared to point out an armed particular person within the retailer, apparently holding someone else. It was not clear how many individuals had been within the retailer.

A spokesman for Apple within the Netherlands didn’t reply to requests in search of remark.