Amsterdam airport evacuated as Dutch police shoot man armed with knife

Suspect taken to hospital after being shot in the leg in incident that is not terror-related

Caroline Mortimer
Friday 15 December 2017 17:12 GMT
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Amsterdam's international airport was evacuated after police shot a suspect who was allegedly threatening passengers with a knife
Amsterdam's international airport was evacuated after police shot a suspect who was allegedly threatening passengers with a knife

Dutch military police have shot a man after he threatened to use a knife at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport.

In a tweet, the Marechaussee police service said the "situation is safe" and the suspect has been detained and removed from the scene.

The force confirmed the suspect had been shot in the leg and was arrested before being transferred to hospital.

Spokesman Stan Verberkt said the incident on Friday afternoon was not being treated as an extremist attack.

Mr Verberkt told The Associated Press that "the circumstances are telling us that it has nothing to do with terrorism".

Parts of ​Schiphol, which is just outside Amsterdam and one of Europe's busiest airports, were evacuated for a short time but have since been reopened.

This included Roos van der Ven says Schiphol Plaza, an area populated with shops, bars and restaurants, was evacuated, but not "airside" parts of the airport behind the check-in area and security checks.

The incident comes as Europe remains on high alert due to a string of terror attacks on multiple locations, including airports.

In March 2016, 32 people were killed and more than 300 people were injured in three coordinated terror attacks in Brussels, Belgium which included an attack on the city's airport.

The plotters behind the Paris terror attack in 2015 had also plotted to bomb Schiphol.

In January the head of the airport, Jos Nijhuis, called for up to 500 more military police officers to patrol Schiphol due to increased security concerns.

There are currently 1,800 officers stationed there but Mr Nijhuis derided plans to introduce just 135 extra – saying they needed hundreds more.

Additional reporting by agencies

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