- Cameras rolled as armed police stormed the studio to arrest the suspect
- Footage of the dramatic stand-off and arrest are then broadcast on TV
- Gunman had earlier entered the building claiming to be a secret agent
- Suspect believed to be 19-year-old chemistry student from Netherlands
- He is not believed to be linked to Islamic extremism
There
were incredible scenes on Dutch TV tonight after a teenage gunman
stormed the studios of the national broadcaster and demanded to be put
on air.
NOS
went off air for an hour after the smartly dressed suspect, who was
carrying a silenced pistol, seized control of the studio.
But cameras continued to roll, recording the moment police rushed into to disarm him.
According
to a reporter from the broadcaster who spoke to the the gunman, who is
thought to be a 19-year-old student, he had claimed to be a member of a
hacker's collective working for Dutch intelligence.
After the man's arrest ended the hostage crisis at the NOS studios in Hilversum, 12 miles east of Amsterdam, footage of the dramatic arrest was then broadcast to the nation.
No-one was hurt and no shots were fired during the incident, which interrupted the NOS evening news broadcast.
Police
said in a statement that the man demanded airtime and threatened that
bombs would go off at several locations around the Netherlands if his
demand was not met.
Wearing
a black suit and tie, the man entered the studio after threatening a
guard with a pistol, witnesses said. It was unclear how he passed
through security, which was increased after the attacks in Paris earlier
this month.
Reality TV: These were the images seen
by Dutch television viewers which showed the man who had stormed the
studios of the national broadcaster shortly after he was arrested and
the channel went back on air
Secret agent: The gunman's pistol,
visible in the bottom right corner, appears to have a suppressor
attached to the muzzle. He claimed to be a member of a hackers'
collective linked to Dutch intelligence
Bungled: The teenage gunman had
apparently intended to speak to the country on the most popular evening
news broadcast, but was led to an empty studio by a quick-thinking
security guard
Surrender: 'Drop it! Drop it! And get
on your knees!' armed officers shouted as they rushed into the studio.
The gunman surrendered immediately and allowed himself to be handcuffed
without a struggle
Footage aired on Dutch TV showed the man pacing in the studio with a black pistol behind his back.
He
had intended to speak to the country on the most popular evening news
broadcast, but was led to an empty studio by a quick-thinking security
guard.
Nevertheless,
cameras were recording as he paced back and forth in front of them.
Speaking to a man off camera, the suspect said: 'The things that are
going to be said (pause) those are very large world affairs. We were
hired by the security service.'
He
begins to grow impatient, complaining 'This is taking too long'. But
shortly after, police arrived with their guns drawn. 'Drop it! Drop it!
And get on your knees!' armed officers shouted.
At least five police officers then ordered him to turn around and lie down, which he did and he was arrested without a struggle.
Take down: Armed police storm into the studios at Dutch broadcaster NOS to tackle the gunman
Arrested: The suspect did not resist the police commando team and immediately surrendered his weapon
Questioning: Police said they are investigating the gunman's claims to have accomplices around Holland
The
teenager - who has been named in Dutch media as Tarik Zahzah - lives in
the central Dutch town of Pijnacker, near the university town Delft,
officials said, declining to provide details.
They
refused to comment on media reports that he was a student whose parents
had recently died and that he was not on a watchlist of Islamist
militants.
He
was being questioned and could be charged with kidnapping, possession
of a firearm and threatening people with a weapon, prosecutor Johan Bac
said at a press conference.
No one was hurt, but NOS cancelled its two main nightly news broadcasts.
Police special forces swept the building for explosives and found nothing, police spokesman Christine Scholts said.
'We
are currently investigating who this man is and what he wants,' she
said. The police were looking into claims that he had accomplices around
the country with explosives.
'He
took the security guard hostage and said he wanted air time. If they
didn't give it to him, he said there would be bombs in different places
in the Netherlands that would explode if he didn't get time on TV,' Ms
Scholts said.
'Please wait': The image shown earlier
to Dutch TV viewers after a gunman stormed the studio of the national
broadcaster and demanded time in front of the cameras
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