Amsterdam prosecutors confirmed Wednesday that a gunman held a hostage in Amsterdam’s Apple Store for hours before being run over by police while chasing the hostage out of his shop.
During the five-hour long standoff, the man demanded 200 million euros in ransom (more than $226 millions) in cryptocurrency. As dozens of police officers surrounded the store, a large number of heavily armed officers managed to expel about 70 people from its building.
Frank Paauw, Chief of Police, stated that the suspect was a 27-year old man from Amsterdam, who was armed with an automatic weapon and a handgun, and was wearing camouflage clothes as he pursued his hostage.
Franklin Wattimena, a spokesperson for the prosecution office, said that the suspect had died on Wednesday night. He did not provide any further information.
Police said that the hostage was a Bulgarian male. They did not release his identity.
Paauw stated that the hostage had played a hero’s role in forcing a breakthrough in this scenario in that split second he had. This was during a press conference that Paauw held in the early morning hours. It could have been a long, unpleasant night. Maybe it would have been longer.
A robot checked the suspect for explosives after he was stopped. Meanwhile, nearby snipers took aim at the robot with green laser beams, clearly visible in the night sky, as the robot scanned the suspect. The suspect threatened to blow his own head up, according to police contacts.
Wednesday’s police statement stated that the suspect had “explosive parts”, but they were not armed.
Paauw stated that the man was taken to hospital with serious injuries. As detectives probed his motive, he was still in hospital Wednesday.
On Wednesday, investigations were ongoing and included the search of two Amsterdam homes. According to the company’s website, the Apple Store was closed on Wednesday and Thursday. The store’s windows could have contained bullet holes.