30-3-2024 (EDE) Three hostages have been released from a cafe in central Netherlands, according to police statements on Saturday. However, authorities have not yet given the all-clear signal, keeping the situation under close watch.
As a precautionary measure, the town center of Ede was evacuated early in the morning after several individuals were held captive at Cafe Petticoat.
In a statement on X, previously known as Twitter, the police confirmed the release of three hostages but emphasized that the situation was far from resolved.
Footage broadcasted on the public broadcaster NOS depicted three young people leaving the premises with their hands raised in the air.
Authorities have not identified any “terrorist motive” behind the incident in Ede, as stated by the police. The exact number of hostages initially held remains unknown, but local media reports have estimated the involvement of approximately four to five individuals.
Police have lifted the cordon around the cafe, ensuring the safety of residents from around 150 houses who were evacuated.
The local municipality, through its website, announced the closure of the town center and the presence of riot police and explosives experts at the scene.
Residents were urged to steer clear of the town center, and train services were redirected as a precautionary measure. The police statement also addressed the motive behind the incident, stating, “We see there are many questions about the motive. At this time, there is no indication of a terrorist motive.”
While the Netherlands has witnessed a series of terror attacks and plots, they have not reached the scale experienced by other European countries like France or Britain.
In 2019, the nation was shaken by a shooting spree on a tram in Utrecht, resulting in four fatalities. Gokmen Tanis, a Turkish-born man, later admitted to carrying out the attack with a terror motive, causing significant disruption in the country’s fourth-largest city.
Additionally, in 2019, Dutch police arrested two suspected jihadists for planning a terror attack involving suicide and car bombs. Authorities successfully intervened and prevented the attack that was planned for that year.
???????? In the Petticoat cafe in the city of Ede , 60 kilometers southeast of Amsterdam , an unknown masked man held hostages for several hours.#Netherlands #gijzeling #ede pic.twitter.com/yU0u0U0oQq
— Inam (@inamullah_gh) March 30, 2024
In 2018, a young Afghan man, identified as “Jawed S.,” stabbed two American tourists at Amsterdam Central Station. During subsequent court proceedings, he revealed his intention to “protect the Prophet Mohammed.”
This assault followed far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders’ announcement to cancel a planned cartoon competition caricaturing the Prophet Mohammed. Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid called for Muslims to target Dutch troops in response to Wilders’ “hostile act by this country (the Netherlands) against all Muslims.”
The most notable terror attack in the Netherlands involved the assassination of outspoken Dutch anti-Islam film director Theo van Gogh in 2004. He was shot and stabbed to death in Amsterdam by an individual connected to a Dutch Islamist terror network.
