Thread by @space_osint

There is an ongoing hostage situation in an Apple Store at #Leidseplein, Amsterdam (🇳🇱).

This comes shortly after reports of an armed robbery. There is a heavy police presence in the area.

Will update on the thread below:

The armed person reportedly said he has explosive devices. Police has evacuated the area. Multiple roads are now closed.

Possibly demanded €2,000,000 worth of cryptocurrencies, but this is UNCONFIRMED.

Reports of sounds of a gunshot(s) a few minutes ago. Highly doubt it, since only a few sources heard them,

Multiple people are reporting that people that live nearby are asked to leave their homes. Unconfirmed so far.

Semi-confirmed now. Not everyone wants to leave the area.

The bearcat of the DSI (Dutch ‘SWAT’-ish) is nearby. There are very few of those vehicles in The Netherlands (🇳🇱). #leidseplein

It’s not surprising that the police decided to move this vehicle to a nearby location though.

(Photo of ~1 hour ago)

Two police helicopters are monitoring the situation at #leidseplein.

Looks like one had to refuel and that the ‘new’ on continues to provide a birds eye view of the situation. #leidseplein

I call on everyone to stop live-streaming the building and surroundings. And to stop watching the livestreams that are broadcasting the area.

This is making the work of the police much more difficult. #leidseplein

The hostage-taker reportedly has a Škorpion vz. 61 machine pistol.

These firearms are used quite ‘regularly’ in the Dutch criminal networks.

The people who were trapped above the Apple store are reportedly safe now.

Seeing some photos from inside the Apple store. I will not share these (and advice others to do the same) since they might compromise the efforts of the police. #leidseplein

People are suggesting that there may be 2 hostage-takers, because a weapon is visible next to the victim.

This unlikely since the victim is likely zip-tied. Placing a weapon next to him might influence the decisions of the police, which might be the goal. #leidseplein

Confirmed by police a while ago

Just a quick update: not much is happening right now that we can see. It looks like the police is still negotiating with the gunman, which is a good sign. #leidseplein

Looks like the police is still evacuating people from the area. #leidseplein

The two helicopters did this again ~ 30 minutes ago. Likely to refuel and give the crew a break again.

A bus with people who were evacuated from the area, possibly from the Apple store itself, left #leidseplein

Two people ran out of the Apple store a few moments ago. One person, possibly the gunman, is laying on the ground.

#leidseplein

The person was hit by a police car and hasn’t moved. He will probably be checked by a robot for possible explosive before paramedics can help.

#leidseplein

I will end the thread here.

I will not share the videos of the moment the gunman was hit by the car, since it’s quite a graphic video.

Great work by the police and other emergency services!

https://twitter.com/space_osint/status/1496242506673102850

Update: no explosives were found on the body of the gunman, police confirmed. #leidseplein

Update:
- gunman is 27 years old and is still alive
- victim is a 44 year old man from the UK
- police rescued 70 people from the Apple Store.
- 4 people hid in a closet
- the gunman and the hostage ran out of the store when they asked for water, which was delivered by a robot

Turns out the gunman shot at police 4 times. Unknown how many shots were fired.

Another update:
- The gunman had explosives on his body, but these weren't armed.
- The gunman is still alive, but in critical condition. He is now being treated in hospital.
- The victim is a 44-years old man from Bulgaria (not the UK).
#leidseplein

Probably the last update:
- the gunman died in hospital after he was hit by a police car last night. His name was Abdel Rahman A.
#leidseplein