Armed man with explosives takes multiple people hostage & threatens to blow up bar as 150 homes evacuated in Netherlands
A TERRIFYING hostage situation is unfolding in the Netherlands after a man armed with weapons and explosives stormed a bar and threatened to blow it up.
Some 150 homes were evacuated as members of the public were asked to steer clear of the area.
Several special police units were deployed to a building in the centre of the eastern Dutch town of Ede this morning, police said on social media.
The hostages are being held at a local bar named Café Petticoat, says national newspaper de Telegraaf, citing several anonymous sources.
A man allegedly entered the business at closing time, armed with weapons and explosives, and threatened to blow the place up.
Gelderland police said on Saturday morning that "there is no indication" the hostage-taker has any "terrorist motive".
The hostage situation involves "several people".
A police spokesperson told de Telegraaf that officers assume there is only one hostage-taker, but would not speak about whether they had contact with the person.
Nor would they comment on the explosives the hostage-taker is alleged to be armed with, as doing so "could be to the detriment of safety".
There are no trains running between Barneveld-Zuid and Ede-Wageningen due to the deployment of the police, which includes specialised teams and a mobile unit.
A negotiator has also been deployed.
An event for people aged 16 plus took place at Café Petticoat on Friday evening and was over by 4am, De Telegraaf reports.
Police reportedly received word of the incident about 6am, after which a massive turnout of offices, ambulances, and fire services arrived at the scene.
Gelderland police wrote on X this morning: "Due to an ongoing police incident, the police requests to stay away from the center of Ede.
"Stay inside and don't come and watch."
Large screens have reportedly been set up around the "catering facility" at the site, which had already officially closed when police were called.
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