The police raided a stationary train near Holthees on Wednesday. That happened after someone at the station in Nijmegen saw a man step into the train towards Roermond with something that looked like a grenade. One suspect was arrested on the train, but later released. An explosive was not found.
The report that someone boarded the train with possibly an explosive in their pocket was taken so seriously that the train was stopped around 4.30 pm just before the railway crossing in Holthees, on the border with Limburg.
The emergency services rushed out with all their might. For example, dozens of officers and an arrest team were present, a helicopter was hovering over the track and the fire brigade and ambulances were on standby.
raid
Around half past five the train was directed towards the railway crossing and not much later armed officers with bulletproof vests and dogs entered the train. Passengers had to keep their hands in the air while the train was searched. No explosive was found.
Video footage shows several officers arresting a man. A salient detail is that a spokesperson for the Brabant-North Security Region reported to the ANP that no suspect has been arrested. According to Dagblad De Limburger, someone was arrested, but this person was released shortly afterwards.
Around 7 p.m., the first of the approximately 100 passengers were searched, after which they were allowed to leave the train. Most travelers were picked up and about 30 more people got back in around 7.45 pm to continue the journey to Roermond. “A storm in a teacup,” the security region tells ANP.
‘sit cards’
Despite the hours of uncertainty, there was little or no panic among travelers. “It was only tense when the police officers came in with dogs. Furthermore, the atmosphere was actually quite relaxed. I played cards with people I had never seen before,” a young man told Omroep Brabant.
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Watch the footage of the suspect’s arrest here: