Dutch police have ended a hostage situation at an Apple store in Amsterdam, where a gunman held at least one person for hours. Footage shared online shows a police car ramming the captor as he ran from the store, apparently in pursuit of the hostage. Police then checked the gunman for explosives, which he did not have, before he was checked by medical personnel. Armed police earlier gathered on the scene, with video clips on broadcaster <i>AT5's</i> website appeared to show a person being held in the store at gunpoint. “There is a person with a firearm in the store … police forces are there with many units and specialist units at the scene to get the situation under control,” Amsterdam police tweeted. “We are restricting information about the situation in the <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/technology/2022/02/09/apple-unveils-tap-to-pay-feature-that-lets-iphones-accept-contactless-payments/" target="_blank">Apple store</a> … in order not to upset our investigation and efforts there." They later confirmed it was a hostage situation without saying how many people were being held captive. Police said several people had managed to leave the building during the incident, but declined to give more details. Police had earlier cleared the square and asked neighbours to remain inside and not come outside to watch. The Apple store is at one end of the upscale Leidseplein, a square at the south side of Amsterdam's centre. Gun violence is not uncommon in the Netherlands, but hostage situations are extremely rare.
