Police arrest man as hostage situation ends in Dutch town of Ede: Netherlands
A hostage situation at a nightclub in the Netherlands has ended after police arrested a man wearing a balaclava mask when he left the premises.
“The last hostage has just been released. One person has been arrested,” a police statement said. “We cannot share more information at this time.”
An initial group of three people were released, with pictures from public broadcaster NOS showing them leaving the building with their hands in the air.
A fourth hostage was freed shortly afterwards, with the suspected hostage-taker then arrested.
Journalists at the scene said a man left the Petitcoat nightclub with his hands in the air and was detained and put in a police vehicle.
Footage from NOS showed a man kneeling on the ground with his hands behind his back, as officers restrained him with handcuffs.
Special police units had been deployed to the scene, a building in the centre of the town of Ede, to deal with a hostage situation, police said on social media. About 150 homes were evacuated during the incident. There was no indication of a terrorist motive, police said.
“A terrible situation for all these people. My concern and thoughts go out to them and their loved ones. I hope that the situation is now resolved quickly and safely,” said Ede mayor Rene Verhulst.
Earlier a reporter for NOS said a remote-controlled robot was at the scene as well as anti-explosives units and police in protective gear.
Trains to and from Ede were cancelled, the railway operator NS said on its website.
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