Guard, police emerge heroes from NOS hostage incident
Almost two hours after the armed man interrupted the 8.00pm news broadcast at NOS, operations at the TV station had not resumed yet, but the security guard who remained calm in the face of danger was being praised as hero.
After the man gave him the threatening letter and demanded air time in the TV station's “Studio 8”, the guard took him to an empty studio where police barged in shortly after and made their arrest. The televised hostage incident was over just 12 minutes after it had started.
“I am happy the doorman did what he did. I (also) think it is great that police were on the scene so fast to arrest the man,” NOS Director Jan de Jong told NPO1
The incident brought to mind the deadly shooting at Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris earlier this month. It prompted shocked reactions from around the country. The Dutch Journalist Association has said it wants a meeting with Dick Schoof, the Coordinator National Anti-Terrorism unit and the mayors of Amsterdam and Hilversum about safety at editorial departments that now are proven to be vulnerable.
NOS management and police were set to hold a press conference around 10.30pm. The NPO building has meanwhile been released by police, but the NOS offices could not be accessed yet.
At the press conference it has meanwhile been confirmed that the armed man is aged 19. He hails from Pijnacker, near The Hague. The sources say his parents recently passed away and he apparently attended school in Delft. He did not appear to be working with anyone else.
