Man held over hostage-taking at Dutch club

Police in the Netherlands detained a man yesterday after he left a nightclub where four people had been held hostage for hours, bringing a peaceful end to a tense standoff.

“We are exceptionally happy that it ended this way. That the victims came out safely and that we were able to arrest this suspect without using violence,” Marthyne Kunst, head of the regional public prosecutor’s office, said.

There was no immediate word on a motive, but police and prosecutors said they did not believe it was a terrorist incident.

Police said the hostage-taker was armed with knives. A backpack he carried was being examined to see if it contained explosives.

The hostage-taking in the central Dutch market town of Ede, 85km southeast of Amsterdam, ended around noon when a man walked out of the Cafe Petticoat club and was ordered by armed police to kneel with his hands on his head. He was then handcuffed before being led into a waiting police car.

Kunst told reporters the man was known to law enforcement authorities and had previously been convicted of threatening behaviour. She gave no further details, citing privacy and the ongoing investigation.

The suspect’s identity was not released. Ede mayor Rene Verhulst said he was a Dutch citizen.

Authorities also released no details about the four hostages.

Verhulst said it was an emotionally charged morning, adding: “Everything is fine. The hostage-taker is arrested by the police and they are now speaking to him. And the hostages are free, they are very emotional.”

Earlier, three young hostages walked out of the club with their hands above their heads. A fourth person was released shortly before the suspect was arrested. The hostages were all workers at the club.

Heavily armed police and special arrest teams, some wearing masks, had gathered outside the popular club. As many as 150 nearby homes were evacuated and trains did not stop at the town’s station.