Gelderland - Netherlands: Europe and the Arabs
In the Dutch region of Ede, in the province of Gelderland, a hostage-taking took place at the entertainment venue "Petticoat" on Saturday morning. A man allegedly entered the venue at closing time with weapons and explosives and threatened to blow up the venue. On Saturday afternoon, police announced on X that all hostages had been released. One person left the cafe handcuffed and wearing a mask.
"The last hostage has just been released. One person has been arrested," police wrote on Mayor Eddie said the hostage situation is also over.
Social media
As for Eddy Mayor Rene Verhulst's horrified reaction to the hostage situation: "I ask people to exercise restraint when using videos on social media," he said. "We see a lot of videos of the situation at the site being posted online. I urge you to use this with restraint and not share it. Hostages who are now free have the right to peace and privacy. The police also want to be able to do their job properly.
“In addition, I understand that this has an impact on all the people who suddenly had to leave their homes, as well as on the entrepreneurs in the centre, as all stores remain closed for the time being. I hope they understand the moratorium.”
The café owner had previously confirmed to De Telegraaf that his employees were being held hostage. According to the owner, there was no conflict with third parties.
The police spokesman was unable to say anything about possible explosives. He added: "This may be at the expense of safety." According to police, there was no indication of a terrorist motive.
More than 150 homes were evacuated. No trains ran between Barneveld-Zuid and Ede-Wageningen due to the deployment of the police, who responded with specialized teams and a mobile unit.
Petticoat is a café that mainly attracts young people. There are only positive reviews about the cafe. Another event for more than 16 people was organized on Friday evening, including Dutch music and techno. This ended at 4 am.
The police received a report at approximately six o'clock in the morning, which was taken seriously, after which large numbers of police, firefighters and ambulances were present.
Police said that residents of the evacuated homes were being sheltered elsewhere. Residents were previously urged to stay home. The police imposed several cordons on Saturday morning and were present in the center of the Guilderland municipality with various specialized services.