Amsterdam police said they have arrested a suspect who was taken hostage at an Apple Store in Amsterdam on Tuesday evening. The police added that the hostage is fine.
“We were able to end the situation by hitting the hostage taker with a car when he fled abroad,” police said on Twitter, adding that the man was being treated for serious injuries.
The suspect was carrying a pistol and an automatic rifle. Amsterdam’s police chief, Frank Bau, said during a press conference on Wednesday that he fired at least four shots when police arrived around 6 p.m. local time (1700 UTC).
Several witnesses heard gunshots inside the Apple Store
The situation did not end until about five hours later, when the hostage fled the building as a police robot delivered water to the door of the shop at the suspect’s request, according to Dutch media reports.
Footage showed the suspect crashing into a car outside an Apple Store as he ran after the fleeing hostage.
Police said the gunman was “lying in the street and a robot was checking him for explosives” after being hit by a car.
“The hostage played a heroic role by achieving a breakthrough,” Bao said. “If not, this would have been a long night.”
The hostage, who is now safe, is said to be a 44-year-old British man.
The police said dozens Many people were trapped in the building when the confrontation began, but were released before the situation ended.
Dutch broadcaster NOS had earlier reported that the hostage situation began as an alleged robbery.
But Bao said the suspect, 27, called police himself while holding the hostages and demanded a ransom of 200 million euros ($226 million) in cryptocurrency and a safe passage outside the building.
Leidseplein, the bustling downtown plaza where the Apple Store is located, was cordoned off and cordoned off, a helicopter hovering in the sky for hours. The police apologized for the noise and inconvenience caused to the residents of the area.
fb / nm (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)