Armed robbery at Apple Store Amsterdam, possibly hostage in progress | Abroad

An eyewitness reports The Parool that around 6 p.m. two men walked out of the Apple Store. When they saw the police, one of them grabbed a person under his arm and held a gun to the person’s head. The person was then taken hostage. The two men would still be in the Apple Store right now.

The police confirm to the ANP news agency that they have been called out after a report ‘at a shop’. It is not yet possible to say exactly what the nature of the report was.

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Multiple people sign up the Amsterdam channel AT5 heard shots. “I had to run for my ‘life’”, one of them tells the station. “I was standing on the zebra crossing opposite the apple store. There, an employee panicked and ran outside with a walkie-talkie while shouting ‘ROUGH!’ called out. At that moment my penny hadn’t dropped yet and I wanted to cross the zebra crossing opposite the entrance of the apple store. And that’s when I heard gunshots inside.”

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Visitors to the cafes around Leidseplein must stay indoors, writes The Parool† The square has been cleared. The police are present in large numbers and on high alert. Visitors to De Balie, right next to the Apple Store, are no longer allowed to leave the building on the instruction of the police, because there is a risk of shooting, floor manager Dylan tells the newspaper. “We went to a room in the back away from the windows.” Dylan says that there are ‘about 70 people’ in the building.