Explosives find shuts Amsterdam neighborhood; Two arrests

A suspicious object discovered in a car on Lijnbaansgracht in Amsterdam led police to evacuate part of the surrounding area early Monday morning. Two people were arrested, police said.

Police are not revealing what the object is that was found in the car. They have confirmed that the bomb disposal unit has responded to the scene. The alarm was called in just before 3:30 a.m. after "a suspicious situation arose which involved a car" in traffic, a police spokesman told broadcaster RTV Noord Holland.

Emergency workers forced the evacuation of eight apartments, and cleared the Lijnbaansgracht, police announced on social networking service Twitter. They have not confirmed the number of people displaced because of the investigation.

Lijnbaansgracht is part of the bustling Leidseplein district in the city's Western Canal Ring. A branch of the Police department is located on the street, along with the popular music venue, Melkweg.

U.S. President Barack Obama is scheduled to visit Amsterdam on Monday. The Netherlands is also playing host to the Nuclear Security Summit on Monday and Tuesday, with many heads of state and thousands of government officials and journalists set to attend. The country is under a heightened security alert in connection with the visits.