Hostage situation grapples Netherlands for several hours, suspect detained

A hostage drama in the Netherlands that lasted several hours on Saturday ended without bloodshed as all four hostages were freed and police took the suspect into custody.

Authorities have said there was no reason to suspect a "terrorist motive" for the ordeal, which took place at a night spot popular with young people in the town of Ede.

Police said they received reports of a potential hostage situation at 5:15am (0415 GMT) at the Cafe Petticoat, with local media saying a "confused" man burst in as staff were clearing up after a party.

The man was armed with "several knives" that he showed to the hostages, prosecutor Marthyne Kunst told reporters at a news conference in the town hall.

Police are also investigating a black backpack he was carrying with him, amid reports that the hostage-taker had threatened to use explosives.

Police spokesman Anne Jan Oosterheert said officers were on the scene within minutes, opening negotiations immediately with the man.

"Luckily that all went well," he said, declining to offer details of the negotiations.

The suspect is known to the police and has a previous conviction for threatening behaviour. Investigations are underway as to his motive and psychological state, Kunst said.

'Terrible situation'

The incident sparked a major deployment including riot police and explosives experts.

Police cleared the centre of the town and evacuated the residents of some 150 buildings near the cafe. Trains were diverted away from the town as a precaution.

Hours after the ordeal began, an initial group of three people were released, pictures from public broadcaster NOS showing them exiting the building with their hands in the air.

The fourth hostage was freed shortly afterwards, with the suspected hostage-taker then arrested.

NOS images showed a man kneeling on the ground with his hands behind his back, as officers restrained him with handcuffs.

"A terrible situation for all these people. My concern and thoughts go out to them and their loved ones. I hope that the situation is now resolved quickly and safely," said Ede mayor Rene Verhulst.

"Emotions are high" in the town, said the mayor, saying it had been "a very intense Saturday morning."

Last year, a 27-year-old man armed with two guns held several people hostage at an Apple store in Amsterdam, sparking a tense five-hour ordeal.

That stand-off ended when the suspect was hit by a police car as he chased his last hostage who made a desperate break for freedom and ran out of the store.

He later died in hospital from his injuries.

The Netherlands has seen a series of terror attacks and plots but not on the scale of other European countries, such as France or Britain.

In 2019, the country was stunned by a shooting spree on a tram in the city of Utrecht that claimed four lives.

In the most serious incident involving a terror attack, outspoken Dutch anti-Islam film director Theo van Gogh was shot and stabbed to death in 2004 in Amsterdam by a man with ties to a Dutch Islamist terror network.