Standoff ends at Amsterdam Apple Store, hostage vault

AMSTERDAM

An hour-long hostage situation at the Apple Store in Amsterdam ended on Tuesday evening with police in a car driving into the hostage-taker as he fled the store. His hostage was safe, police said.

“We can confirm that the hostage taker walked out of the Apple Store,” police said in a tweet. “He is lying in the street and a robot is checking him for explosives. Armed police are checking him remotely. The hostage is safe.

Police later said the man had no explosives and that medical personnel were attending to him. There was no word on his condition.

The motive for the incident was not immediately clear. Local broadcaster AT5 suggested the standoff was the result of an attempted armed robbery. AT5 said witnesses reported hearing gunshots.

Dozens of police, including heavily armed specialist arrest teams, massed around the store, cleared and sealed off the nearby Leidseplein square and urged people living there or in nearby shops or cafes to stay inside. The square surrounded by bars and restaurants is close to one of the main shopping streets of the Dutch capital.

Police said dozens of people managed to leave the building during the clash, but declined to give further details on the situation at the popular store.

As police lines were set up to keep people away from the store, a helicopter could be heard hovering overhead. Police have asked people not to post images or live stream the hostage situation “for the safety of those involved and our deployment”.

Earlier, a video posted to social media appeared to show an armed person in the store, apparently holding on to someone else. It was unclear how many people were in the store.

A spokesperson for Apple in the Netherlands did not respond to requests for comment.