Dutch nightclub hostage drama ends peacefully with arrest of suspect

Police officers detain a person near the Cafe Petticoat, where several people were being held hostage in Ede, Netherlands, March 30, 2024. /Piroschka Van De Wouw

EDE, Netherlands -A hostage drama at a nightclub in the eastern Netherlands ended peacefully after several hours on Saturday with the arrest of a suspect - a man wearing a balaclava mask who exited the building and surrendered to police.

"The last hostage has just been released. One person has been arrested," a police statement said. "We cannot share more information at this time."

Several people, including employees, had been taken hostage at the Cafe Petticoat in the town of Ede early on Saturday morning. The motive was unclear.

Officials said at a news briefing that the suspect, who was previously known to police, had threatened the hostages with knives. There was no indication of a terrorist motive, police have said.

The suspect walked out of the club, put his hands behind his head and got to his knees before being handcuffed by police, a Reuters video journalist at the scene said.

Police explosives units had been deployed to the building in the town centre. Streets in the area had been evacuated and trains cancelled to the town, nearly 80 km (50 miles) from Amsterdam.

(Reporting by Piroschka van de Wouw, Anthony Deutsch and Toby SterlingEditing by William Maclean, Bernadette Baum and Frances Kerry)