Kalashnikov water pipe causes Eindhoven mall panic

On Wednesday the police arrested three 18-year-olds from Veghel for walking around the Piazza shopping center in Eindhoven with what seemed to be a Kalashnikov. The automatic firearm later turned out not to be dangerous - it was a water pipe oor hookah made to look like a Kalashnikov.

The fact that the gun was not real was not immediately apparent as the hookah was dismantled and only the part that looked like a Kalashnikov could be seen. A witness noticed it and called the police.

The police decided not to take any chances. They strapped on their bulletproof vests, closed down 18 Septemberplein where the suspects were, and evacuated the square. When the police learned that the weapon was likely a hookah, two officers and a police dog were sent in.

The three men were arrested. At the police station it became clear that the Kalashnikov was indeed just a water pipe.

Gisteravond melding 3 verdachten met #AKA47 #station #Eindhoven Verdachten aangehouden onder dreiging van #DH. AKA47 bleek grote waterpijp. pic.twitter.com/BwwKAOpP1z

— Politiehonden Oost-Brabant (@TSH_OostBrabant) March 23, 2017