In the Dutch city of Ede, a hostage situation ended relatively peacefully after several hours. This was announced by a spokesman for the mayor, as the ANP news agency reported. A man left the affected cafe on Saturday with his arms raised and was taken into police custody, as can be seen in pictures. Police confirmed on platform X (formerly Twitter) that all four hostages had been released. A press conference was announced for the afternoon.
The hostage-taking lasted several hours. A large police force cordoned off the area in the center of the city, Dutch media reported. According to the police, three people were able to leave the café by midday.
According to police, around 150 apartments were evacuated due to the threat. There are no signs of a terrorist motive, the police in the province of Gelderland said on X. A police spokesman did not want to provide further details when asked by broadcaster NOS.
The police had gathered heavily armed forces around the café. Videos showed police officers in uniform and armed taking up positions in the center. The fire brigade and rescue workers were also on site. You could see how the affected area was cordoned off over a large area.
There are many inquiries about what is happening. But first of all they just want to say that it’s probably not about terrorism. A police spokesman for the NOS had previously said that the emergency services were assuming a hostage taker. The police had called for people to avoid the center of the city, which is not far from Arnhem in the province of Gelderland. Train services in the affected area were suspended.
The region around Ede is best known for the De Hoge Veluwe National Park with its forests, heath and grass areas as well as inland dunes. The heather blossom is particularly popular.
