Man released after highway arrest over bomb threat

The 41-year-old man arrested on the A4 after making a comment about a bomb on a bus to Schiphol on Monday, was released after questioning. He is still suspected of threatening behavior, the police said on Tuesday. 

The man was arrested by an armed SWAT team on the A4 highway on Monday morning after the bus driver called the police over statements the man made about the bus exploding. The bus driver halted the the bus, everyone evacuated and the highway was closed while the police searched the bus.

No explosives were found. The highway was reopened about 80 minutes later.

According to the police, the man apologized to the other passengers before being taken. He also told the police that he is shocked by the commotion he caused and he definitely hadn't intended it.

The police did not comment on the man's mental state. "It is difficult to determine whether someone is disturbed", a spokesperson said to NU.nl. "It was certainly not an ordinary passenger on his way to Schiphol and the people on the bus became quite nervous about his statements."