"Amsterdam-based daily newspaper Het Parool identified the man as Abdel Rahman A., a grocery delivery worker that has had previous brushes with the law.
However, his motive for besieging the Apple store remained unclear, Dutch media reports said."
It seems odd not to be writing solely about the war in Ukraine, but let's be honest: If you are depending on Fousesquawk to keep you up-to-date on the Russian invasion, I feel sorry for you. I will probably put out some opinions on the matter in the coming days, but all I can offer at the moment are prayers for the Ukrainian people.
In other news out of Europe......
On Tuesday night, an armed man wearing some sort of explosive device took hostages in an Apple store in Amsterdam, which led to a police standoff of several hours. It ended when the last hostage broke free and ran into the street, chased by the hostage-taker. That ended quickly when a police vehicle ran down the hostage-taker.
Today we learn (via NDTV) that the hostage-taker has died in the hospital, and he is partially identified as (surprise surprise) Abdel Rahman A.
The below article from yesterday's De Telegraaf is translated by Fousesquawk. It contains a video of the moment when the hostage-taker was run down by the police car, thus, probably saving the life of the hostage. I have chosen this article because it gives an account of the hostage drama. It should be noted that it was published prior to the death of the hostage-taker.
https://www.telegraaf.nl/nieuws/1167563772/zo-verliep-de-helse-avond-in-de-apple-store-amsterdam
Hero role for Bulgarian hostage, suspect seriously injured
How the hellish evening in the Amsterdam Apple store played out
-by Masha De Jong
Yesterday (Wednesday) 0:125, updated yesterday 17:07-Domestic
Amsterdam- An armed hostage-taking in the Apple store on Leidseplein Tuesday evening held the capital city in its grip. The precarious situation, which lasted almost 6 hours, was stopped by force by police from the anti-terror unit DSI, by running into the hostage-taker, a 27-year-old Amsterdam resident, with a police car. Moments prior, a Bulgarian hostage ran for his life from the threat.
It was the climax of a hellish evening, which began around 17:40 with a report to the police of a possible hostage-taking. Upon the arrival of the officers, they were immediately fired on by the hostage-taker.m He was in possession of a handgun and a semi-automatic weapon. That resulted in the situation being assessed as threatening.
The suspect, who is known to the police under the weapons and munitions act, demanded 200 million euros in cryptocurrency. It is not clear if he was known to the GGZ (mental health authorities). The authorities, for the time being, are going under the assumption that the suspect acted alone.
Bearcat
A police force was put together with several helicopters, dozens of vehicles, terror units, and even a specialized Bearcat vehicle.
Because the police suspected that the hostage-taker was following reports on social media, it was decided to be very cautious in providing information about the situation in the building during the hostage situation.
All catering establishments around the Leidseplein, the Holland Casino, and the Stadsschouwburg were evacuated in the following hours. Police Commissioner Frank Paauw announced that during the course of the evening, 70 people were (evacuated).
Vondelpark
Around 8:30, a dozen employees of the Apple store, together with a group of police officers, stood by the Vondelpark. They had managed to make it to safety via the stairs in the rear of the building. Two colleagues from the store said that they waited upstairs with several others until they got a sign they could leave. One of them was emotional. "I left America because of this kind of trouble. I experienced it there as well. I thought, never this again. Now I'm sitting in the middle of it in Amsterdam."
Caption beneath photo: Photo of hostage-taker sent to AT5
Report to AT5
In photos of the hostage situation, you can see how the suspect, dressed in camouflage uniform, is holding a hostage. Also seen clearly is the bomb belt. Investigation has, meanwhile, shown that the explosive material was not yet activated. Reading the letters closely on the bomb belt, the word, "drill" or "exercise" can be read.
During the hostage situation, the suspect himself made contact with the city broadcast station AT5 by sending photos and reports. "This is the hostage-taker.... if the amount is not going to be sent. Is this sent. Is the life of this man (the system?) going to be on your conscience," is the muddled text he sent literally to AT5.
Caption beneath photo: The hostage-taker has thrown his arm over the shoulder of the hostage during the attack on the Apple store on the Leidseplein.
ANP
"We knew that there were people in a closet, fortunately, the suspect didn't know that."
Broom Closet
Four colleagues were later found to have been in a broom closet for hours, close by the hostage-taker. "They were scared to death," the triangle stated in a press conference. "We knew there were people in a closet, fortunately, the suspect didn't know that," said the principal officer of the Public Prosecutor during the press conference. "We wanted to negotiate and exhaust the man to overpower him if the situation arose."
The hostage situation came to an end after 11:30, after the police delivered a bottle of water to the door with a robot. The customer-hostage took off running, with the hostage-taker pursuing him. Once outside, the suspect was run over by a police car. The 27-year-old Amsterdam resident was then taken seriously injured to the hospital, the others involved were unharmed.
The police had not expected the hostage to run away. The Amsterdam police chief, Frank Paauw, called the action of the victim, from Bulgaria, an "act of heroism."
House searches
The police have made two house searches in Amsterdam-West and Center: one in the home where the suspect was registered, and one in the home where he often stayed. During the house searches, data processors were seized.
For the people freed from the building, victim assistance has been activated. On Wednesday, a crisis bus will be on the Leidseplein, to which, anyone who needs aftercare can report.
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