Netherlands: 'Last hostage released' in Ede, man arrested

A heavy police presence, including special units, deployed in central Ede in the Netherlands early on Saturday morning, amid a hostage situation initially involving "several people." 

Police said at around 12:45 p.m. local time (1145 UTC/GMT), some five hours after their first communications on the issue, that a man had been arrested and that the "last hostage has been released," but that they could not immediately say more.

Marthyne Kunst, the head of the public prosecutor's office for East Netherlands, said in a press conference soon after the arrest that the suspect had a black rucksack and knives on his person which he had shown to the hostages. He claimed to have explosives as well. 

"We are now fully investigating it and we are searching the cafe," Kunst said. "We do not know yet what is in that backpack." 

Kunst said the motive for the attack was not clear and was now being investigated, as was the suspect's mental state. He was already known to law enforcement because of past threats issued, she said. 

Both Mayor Rene Verhulst and a police officer spoke of an "intense" morning and operation in the city, albeit one that appeared to have been resolved without bloodshed. 

Timeline of the hostage-taking

The first emergency call reached police around 5:15 a.m. on Saturday with officers on the scene within a matter of minutes, Anne Jan Oosterheert, head of operations for East Netherlands police, said at the press conference. 

The hostages were staff at the popular cafe and nightclub who were cleaning up after Friday's festivities. 

Negotiations continued throughout the morning, Oosterheert said: "And fortunately that turned out well. We are grateful for that." 

Police in the state of Gelderland mentioned an operation shortly before 8 a.m. on Saturday without specifying its nature and urged people to avoid the area. 

"Update Ede: A hostage situation involving several people is underway in a building in the center. That is why several specialist services are on site," police said roughly two hours later, confirming media reports of a hostage situation. 

"At the moment there is no indication of a terrorist motive," police said while the hostage-taker still had at least four hostages.

The next update followed around one hour later: "Three hostages have just been released. The situation is not over yet." 

Mayor urged people to refrain from sharing videos online

Ede Mayor Rene Verhulst issued a statement on the incident saying that his thoughts went out to those affected by the "terrible situation."

"I hope the situation is now resolved quickly," Verhulst said. 

"We see a lot of videos of the situation on site going online. I urge you to use this with great restraint and not to share it," Verhulst said. "The hostages who are now free have the right to peace and privacy. The police also want to be able to do their work properly."

He voiced sympathy for people from around 150 homes who'd been asked to leave by police and for other shops and businesses unable to open, "as all shops remain closed for the time being."

He said the town hall had been opened as a reception center for those affected and said authorities were making "every effort to resolve the situation in a safe and peaceful manner."

Popular late-night hangout in central Ede

National public broadcaster NOS described the affected establishment, Cafe Petticoat, as "a popular cafe that's open until late on weekends" with a ground floor and a basement. A music session was scheduled to run until 4 a.m. on Saturday morning, it reported. 

Ede is a large town of around 120,000 people roughly 75 kilometers (46 miles) southeast of Amsterdam, it's not far from Arnhem and the German border to its east.

msh/sms (AFP, Reuters)