Hostage Taker In Amsterdam's Apple Store Demanded $226Mln In Cryptocurrency - Reports

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th February, 2022) A man arrested for taking hostages at an Apple store in Amsterdam demanded 200 million Euros ($226 million) in cryptocurrency as a ransom, the local media reported Wednesday, citing law enforcement.

The incident took place in Amsterdam's Leidseplein on Tuesday. The situation was resolved in the evening after the armed perpetrator ran out in the street in pursuit of a hostage and was rammed by a police car.

The hostage was a 44-year-old citizen of Bulgaria, the police said, according to the NL Times outlet. He managed to escape when he went outside to take a bottle of water, which the police, at the request of the hostage taker, tried to hand over using a robot.

After being hit by the police car, the perpetrator was hospitalized in critical condition, according to the law enforcement.

The hostages were taken by a 27-year-old resident of Amsterdam, who had worked in a supermarket in a groceries department. He threatened to blow himself up along with the hostages if his ransom demands were not met. The man did have explosives, which, however, were not equipped with fuses, the police said.

The police confirmed that the perpetrator was also armed with a pistol and an automatic weapon, from which he fired at least four shots, damaging the store windows.