A man in a balaclava has been arrested after several people were held hostage in a nightclub in the eastern Dutch town of Ede on Saturday morning.
Police swarmed Cafe Petticoat as a man reportedly armed with explosives kept several people captive.
Gelderland Police earlier announced three hostages had been released in a message on X, formerly Twitter. A fourth was released shortly before the suspected was arrested.
Heavily armed police and special arrest teams, some wearing masks, had been seen massed outside the popular club during the hours-long standoff.
We snappen dat er veel vragen zijn over de situatie in Ede. Op dit moment is de veiligheid van de betrokkenen en de hulpdiensten het belangrijkst. Daarom zijn we terughoudend in onze communicatie over de situatie. 1/2
— Politie Gelderland (@POL_Gelderland) March 30, 2024
Video from the scene showed three young people walking out of the club with their hands in the air following their release.
Police tweeted that "at the moment there is no indication of a terrorist motive."
Ede Mayor René Verhulst said in a statement that his “thoughts go out” to the victims “and their loved ones.
"A terrible situation for all these people," Mr Verhulst said. "My concern and thoughts go out to them and their loved ones. I hope that the situation is now resolved quickly and safely."
Earlier Saturday, officers cordoned off a square in central Ede and evacuated about 150 nearby homes.
The hostages were being held in Cafe Petticoat, a popular bar and nightclub in Ede, according to an AP videographer at the scene.
Images from the scene in Ede, a rural market town 85 kilometers (53 miles) southeast of Amsterdam, showed police and firefighters on the streets.
The municipality said that all shops in the center of Ede would remain closed while the situation continued. Trains to and from the town's station also were halted.
