Details emerge of nine-hour hostage drama in the Netherlands

The attacker who kidnapped people in a Dutch nightclub has been arrested

A hostage standoff at a nightclub in a Dutch city ended with a man’s arrest. The suspect is known to authorities and has no indication of a terrorist motive, police said after the nine-hour incident in Ede.

A nine-hour hostage-taking incident at a nightclub in the eastern Netherlands ended after police arrested a man wearing a balaclava as he left the premises, The Observer writes.

“The last hostage has just been released. One person was arrested, police said in a statement. “We are unable to share further information at this time.”

Four employees were taken hostage at the Petticoat establishment in the town of Ede, about 80 km (50 miles) southeast of Amsterdam. Officials said at a briefing that the suspect, who was previously known to police, threatened the hostages with knives. There were no signs of a terrorist motive in the incident, police said.

A group of three people were initially released and photographs published by public broadcaster NOS showed them leaving the building with their hands raised. Shortly thereafter, a fourth hostage was released and the suspected hostage-taker was arrested.

Footage captured by NOS shows the man on his knees with his hands behind his back as police handcuff him.

Special police units were sent to the nightclub located in the city center, police said on social networks. Authorities evacuated about 150 houses during the incident, and trains in and out of Ede were cancelled.

At some point, a police bomb squad with a remote-controlled robot arrived at the scene.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said: “Great respect and gratitude to the police, emergency services and special intervention service who managed to successfully bring to an end the café hostage situation in Ede. I wish everyone involved the strength to cope with this stressful and dramatic event.”

Ede Mayor René Verhulst told a press conference: “As far as we know, he was a Dutchman, a Dutch citizen, and he is known to the police.”

Verhulst said the hostages were “very excited” and were now with their families. According to him, the police will talk with them, as well as with the hostage taker.

“Fortunately, we got lucky,” Verhulst said. “There were a lot of emotions, we had to evacuate people, but in the end everything worked out.”

He said he would soon visit the hostages, who were employees of the nightclub.