Dutch police detained a man on Saturday after he left a nightclub where hostages had been held, apparently bringing a peaceful end to a tense, hours-long standoff.

“The last hostage has just been released. One person was arrested. We cannot give more information at the moment,” police said in a message on X, formerly Twitter.

The man walked out of the club and was ordered by armed police to kneel with his hands on his head. He was then handcuffed before being led into a waiting police car.

Earlier, three young hostages left the Cafe Petticoat in the central town of Ede. A fourth person was released shortly before the suspect was arrested.

Heavily armed police and special arrest teams, some wearing masks, had gathered outside the popular club. Some 150 nearby homes were evacuated.

It was not clear what the motive was for the hostage-taking. Police said earlier in a message on X that “at the moment there is no indication of a terrorist motive.”

Before the latest developments, Ede Mayor René Verhulst called the standoff a “terrible situation for all these people. My concern and thoughts go out to them and their loved ones. I hope that the situation is now resolved quickly and safely.”

Ede is a rural market town 85 kilometres southeast of Amsterdam. The municipality said that all shops in the centre of the town would remain closed while the situation continued. Trains to and from the town's station also were halted.

Related Topics