A 27-year-old man suspected of taking a hostage at an Apple Store in Amsterdam demanded 200 million euros ($227 million) in cryptocurrency and threatened to blow himself up, Dutch police said on Wednesday, one day after the attack.
The attack ended late on Tuesday with the suspected perpetrator seriously injured by a police car, police announced on Wednesday. The hostage, a Bulgarian man, was unharmed. He had originally been identified as British.
About 70 people who were in the shop at the time of the robbery were also unharmed. For hours, citizens were able to follow the events via videos posted to social media.
According to the police, the heavily armed suspect entered the multistory store at around 5:30 p.m. before taking a customer hostage and demanding 200 million euros in cryptocurrency.
"The suspect kept pointing the gun at the hostage and threatened to blow himself up," said Amsterdam Police Chief Frank Paauw.
Police later said that the suspect did have explosives on him, but that they were not live.
The man was seen dressed in military camouflage with a bulky waistcoat. He held a firearm in one hand and had the hostage in a chokehold. The police seized two weapons, including an automatic one.
When the police arrived at the building, the man opened fire. Heavily armed special police forces then secured the store and surrounded the building.
Around 10:30 p.m., the hostage managed to escape. The perpetrator followed him, but was hit by a police car.
"For the city, this is a shocking event," said Deputy Mayor Rutger Groot Wassink.
The Leidseplein area was cordoned off until late. Theatres and cafes on the square were closed. Armored vehicles, heavily armed special forces and helicopters were at the scene for hours.
