The man who was taken hostage in the Apple Store last month was given a hero pin by Mayor Femke Halsema. Four people who were hiding in a closet also received the pin.
Halsema writes on her Instagram: “It is special to be able to receive five very special guests here in my office at the official residence today and to honor them with a hero pin.”
Hostage
On Tuesday evening, February 22, a hostage situation took place in the Apple Store on Leidseplein. A hostage-taker held a customer at gunpoint in the store for hours and demanded 200 million in cryptocurrency.
The hostage situation came to an end around 10:45 PM that evening when the hostage ran away. The hostage-taker was hit by an arrest team and later died of his injuries.
Act of valor
The mayor calls the escape of the hostage a heroic act. “At the risk of his own life. His act of heroism is unbelievably brave, even if he doesn’t see himself as a hero.”
Halsema writes about the people who hid in a closet: “The four people who kept quiet for hours in a closet and lived in fear that they would be discovered are also brave. Despite their plight, they knew important information about the hostage situation. report it to the police.”
The five people who received the hero pin today have indicated that they wish to remain anonymous.