Amsterdam cafe closed indefinitely over found explosive

Cafe In The City in Amsterdam was closed down indefinitely by order of Mayor Eberhard van der Laan on Wednesday evening following the discovery of a small explosive, believed to be a hand grenade, earlier in the day, Het Parool reports.

The cafe is on Kleine Gartmansplantsoen, near Leidseplein. The cafe and surrounding area were evacuated and closed down for several hours after the explosive was found, bringing public transport in the area to a stand still.

An Explosive Ordnance Disposal team was called in to dismantle the explosive. Around 7:00 p.m. the team gave the 'all clear' and the area was opened to the public again.

The police could not say what type of explosive was involved. "But it was serious enough to call in the EOD", a spokesperson said to Het Parool. According to the spokesperson, the police suspect they know how the explosive ended up in the cafe, but won't say any more on the matter in the interest of the investigation. The spokesperson would not confirm reports that a grenade was thrown into the cafe.

The explosive was transferred to the Netherlands Forensic Institute for further investigation. Officers also did an extensive investigation in the cafe on Wednesday evening.