The man who held people hostage for hours in the Apple Store on Leidseplein in Amsterdam is a 27-year-old Amsterdammer. He demanded 200 million euros in cryptocurrencies. The triangle of mayor, public prosecutor and police announced this at a press conference that was scheduled last night.
The man has a criminal record related to the Weapons and Ammunition Act. It is not known whether he was known to the GGZ. Police have now searched two homes. One of these is the suspect’s home, he often stays in the other home. It is believed that he acted alone.
Upon entering the Apple Store, just after 5:30 p.m., the man immediately took a person hostage. Police say the victim is believed to be a foreigner, possibly British. The Parool writes that it concerns a 44-year-old man from England. He was a customer in the store. “The suspect constantly had the hostage at gunpoint and threatened to blow himself up,” said Amsterdam police chief Frank Paauw. “We had the impression that the suspect did not know exactly how many people were in the building.”
Four people hidden in closet
During the hostage situation, the police managed to bring about 70 people who were present in the building to safety. Four people hid in a closet on the ground floor during the hostage situation. “They lived in fear for hours. We have arranged Victim Support for them. We are happy that everyone is safe,” said Deputy Mayor Rutger Groot Wassink.
The hostage-taker himself contacted the police. Immediately after the arrival of the police, he opened fire on the police with an automatic weapon. Police say at least four shots were fired. In addition to an automatic weapon, he also had a handgun with him. He also wore a vest that resembled a bomb vest.
At about 10:30 p.m., the hostage-taker asked for water. This was promised by the police, who sent a robot to bring the water. When the hostage-taker went out, his hostage ran. The hostage-taker followed and was hit by a car of the Special Interventions Service (DSI). He was then examined by a robot for explosives, which he turned out not to be carrying. The man was able to speak after the collision and was taken to hospital. It is not clear how he is doing.
These images show how the perpetrator and the hostage run out of the building. The perpetrator is then hit by a car. Attention, this video contains shocking images:
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