Police gather in Eden, Netherlands, Saturday, March 30, 2024. Heavily armed police have cordoned off part of a Dutch town and say that multiple people are being held hostage in a building there. It is unclear how many people are being held. Police said in a message on X, formerly Twitter, that “at the moment there is no indication of a terrorist motive.†(AP Photo/Aleksandar Furtula)
EDE, Netherlands (AP) – Dutch police have detained a man who walked out of a nightclub where hostages were being held after a tense hours-long standoff.
“The last hostage has just been released. One person was arrested, we cannot give more information at the moment,” police said in a message on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday.
The man walked out of the club before being ordered by armed police to kneel with his hands on his head. He was then handcuffed before being led into a waiting police car.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
EDE, Netherlands (AP) – Three people who were held hostage for hours in a nightclub in the central Dutch town of Ede were released Saturday, police said, but they added that the “situation is not over.”
Gelderland Police announced the hostage release in a message on X, formerly Twitter. They gave no further details about whether more hostages remained in the club. Heavily armed police and special arrest teams, some wearing masks, were massed outside the popular club.
Video from the scene showed three young people walking out of the club with their hands in the air following their release.
Police said in a message on X, formerly Twitter, that “at the moment there is no indication of a terrorist motive.”
Ede Mayor René Verhulst said in a statement that a hostage situation continued in the town despite the release.
“A terrible situation for all these people,” Verhulst said. “My concern and thoughts go out to them and their loved ones. I hope that the situation is now resolved quickly and safely.”
Earlier Saturday, officers cordoned off a square in central Ede and evacuated about 150 nearby homes.
The hostages were being held in Cafe Petticoat, a popular bar and nightclub in Ede, according to an AP videographer at the scene.
Images from the scene in Ede, a rural market town 85 kilometers (53 miles) southeast of Amsterdam, showed police and firefighters on the streets.
The municipality said that all shops in the center of Ede would remain closed while the situation continued. Trains to and from the town’s station also were halted.
