Hostage Being Held At Gunpoint Inside Apple Store In Amsterdam

Police in Amsterdam have surrounded an Apple Store where at least one person is reportedly being held hostage.

A large number of officers were dispatched to the scene on the Leidseplein in Amsterdam following reports of an incident there this afternoon, February 22.

Footage taken by onlookers appears to show a man inside the tech shop waving what looks like a gun.

According to the NL Times, the suspect had his arm around the neck of another man before pulling him to the front door of the shop, kicking the door open and yelling outside.

First responders arrived at the scene at about 5.45pm local time, followed by an ambulance shortly after. Police confirmed their presence at the scene a short while later, saying: 'Due to a report at a shop on Leidseplein, police are now deployed there.'

Authorities have not immediately confirmed reports of anyone being held hostage, though shortly before 7.00pm local time police released a statement to say: 'There is someone with a firearm in/near the shop in question, the police are on site with many (specialist) units to get the situation under control.'

Responders included specialist police tactical teams and officers from the Marechaussee, a branch of the Dutch military, the NL Times reports.

Witnesses in the area have reported that they heard shots fired, according to local broadcaster AT5, and a police helicopter has been seen circling the area.

Speaking to AT5, per the NL Times, one person who was in the area at the time claimed they had to 'run for [their] life'.

They continued: 'I was standing on the crosswalk opposite the Apple Store. An employee ran out in panic with a walkie-talkie yelling, 'Robbery!.' At that moment, it hadn't yet clicked for me. And that's when I heard gunshots inside.'

Police evacuated the square around the shop, with people inside surrounding businesses ordered to stay indoors. Authorities have reportedly also cordoned off a large area surrounding the popular entertainment district.

In updates shared on Twitter, Amsterdam Police assured it has seen the images and videos from the scene circulating on social media and said it would 'secure' the images and 'include them in the investigation'. However, the department also explained it is reluctant to provide information at the moment so as not to 'disrupt our investigation and efforts' on the scene.

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