According to Het Parool, there is currently a hostage-taker and a hostage, but the police cannot confirm this. “We do not want to share any information about the situation in and around the property at the moment.”
The police cannot confirm that dozens of people have been released. This number is also mentioned by Het Parool. “We do not want to share any information about the situation in and around the property for the time being,” said the police.
Footage from earlier in the evening showed a man being held and being held at gunpoint by another man. The police are on the scene en masse with specialist units.
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shots
A large area in the vicinity of Leidseplein has been cordoned off. Emergency services such as ambulances, fire brigade and military police are also represented. The deployment of emergency services around the incident increased on Tuesday evening. Vehicles come and go, with flashing lights and sirens. The Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service (EOD) has also been deployed as a precaution, a police spokesman said.
Several people reported hearing shots to AT5 earlier in the evening. An employee of the store is said to have shouted that a robbery was underway, according to the city broadcaster.