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Apple Store at Leidseplein in Amsterdam
Photo: Olaf Kraak / EPA
After the end of a hostage situation in an Apple store in downtown Amsterdam, the alleged perpetrator died.
"I can confirm the man died in the hospital tonight," said prosecutors spokesman Franklin Wattimena.
Special police units hit the 27-year-old with a car the night before when he ran out of the shop.
The hostage-taking lasted for almost five hours on Tuesday.
At around 5:30 p.m., the police received a report of a suspected robbery by an armed man.
The first officers at the Leidseplein, a popular square in central Amsterdam, also popular with tourists, discovered that the perpetrator, wearing camouflage clothing, had an automatic weapon.
It was also suspected that the man might have been wearing an explosives belt.
The square was cordoned off immediately, and the cafés and theaters in the surrounding shopping and nightlife area were closed.
More than 70 people were able to leave the building, but the gunman took one man hostage.
Four other people hid in a closet.
Demand for 200 million euros in cryptocurrency
Footage posted on social media showed a man with a gun holding an unarmed man.
According to broadcaster AT5, several local people reported hearing gunshots at the Apple Store.
In fact, bullet holes could be seen in the shop window the day after the crime.
The hostage-taker demanded 200 million euros in cryptocurrency and threatened to blow himself up.
At around 10:30 p.m., the hostage-taker asked for water.
Footage shows the hostage stooping as the water is delivered - and then running out of the building.
The hostage-taker ran after the man, but was immediately run over with a vehicle by special police units.
Lying on the street, the man was examined by a robot, but police said he was not wearing any explosives.
The police later said the man had explosives with him, but they were not activated.
From his point of view, the hostage "played a kind of heroic role," said Amsterdam police chief Frank Paauw.
"He escaped from his hostage situation in a fraction of a second." Otherwise it would have been "an even longer and worse night."
Paauw described the actions of the special units as "very appropriate and attentive".
According to the Dutch police, the motive of the perpetrator is not yet known.
aar/AFP
