BERLIN – One hundred and fifty apartments evacuated, trains blocked, shops boarded up and a huge deployment of riot police and firefighters: the Netherlands watched with bated breath the dramatic developments in Ede, a small village near Utrecht where a man took several people hostage in a local. After several hours, “the last hostage was freed”, the police said, and “one person was arrested”.
The police, who had arrived on site in large force, with bomb squad and an anti-explosive robot, emptied the area around the Café Petticoat, a place that serves as a bar during the day and as a disco at night. The man kidnapped the club’s employees during a techno party on Friday night, threatening them with explosives, according to initial reconstructions in the local press.
According to initial police statements, there is no indication that it was a terrorist act. The hostages were released in different stages after a long negotiation with the kidnapper.
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