Amsterdam, Europe Brief News. A gunman was arrested after a hostage operation at Apple’s flagship retail store in Amsterdam ended late Tuesday.
The Dutch police said they managed to arrest the gunman after being rammed by a police car. The suspect in currently in the hospital.
Police said they “are still conducting extensive research” in the Apple Store in central Leidseplein square.
“We managed to end the situation by hitting the hostage-taker with a car when he ran outside,” police said.
The police pointed out that the man is receiving treatment for serious injuries.
According to local media, several people have managed to safely out of the store.
“They were staff and shoppers who were on upper floors of the shop when the armed robbery took place. They had taken refuge in the canteen,” DutchNews reported.
The man was carrying a pistol and an automatic rifle, with which he fired at least four shots when police arrived at the square approximately 6pm (17:00 GMT), Amsterdam police chief Frank Pauw told a news conference on Wednesday morning.
The man, who had a criminal record, had contacted the police himself during the hostage-taking, demanding a ransom of 200 million euros ($226m) in cryptocurrencies and safe passage out of the building, Pauw said.
“He threatened a hostage with a gun and threatened to blow himself up, so we took it very seriously”, Amsterdam newspaper Parool quoted the police chief as saying.
