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29 Jan 2015

Gunman arrested after taking Dutch tv station off air: video

VIDEO: Dramatic footage of the moment police move in to detain a man who entered the offices of the Dutch national broadcaster, demanding to go on air.

Many of the staff at the building, belonging to the NOS broadcaster, were evacuated and the 8pm (7pm GMT) news bulletin was cancelled.

However in the recording of the scene in the studio, the gunman can be heard saying “I think it’s really cool how calm you are.” A voice replies “I’m just as nervous as you are.”

It has been reported that it was the building’s caretaker who had led him to an empty studio.

As a voice is heard trying to keep him calm, the gunman says “I need you to sit down when I start my broadcast. I promise not to hurt you,” adding later “I need you to sit down because when the police storm the building they probably won’t shoot me if you’re next to me.”

In a rambling speech he goes on to say “we have been hired by intelligence serivces who have information that the current situation is untenable.”

The footage ends with the gunman dropping his weapon, and backing out of shot as several armed police close in on him.

Speaking to the NOS Radio 1 station, NOS director Jan de Jong said that there is no indication the incident was terror related.

As he entered the studios, the gunman handed over a garbled letter in which he demanded to be allowed to broadcast live and threatened that 98 hackers were “ready for a cyber attack.” He also claimed that there “are eight heavy explosives placed in the country, containing radioactive material.”

See the video in full: