Disturbed suspect wanted screen time in Media Park hostage situation: Public Prosecutor

A man arrested for holding a woman hostage at the Media Park in Hilversum on Thursday suffers from psychiatric problems, the Public Prosecutor confirmed. The 33-year-old man form The Hague told the authorities that he wanted screen time to express his views. He acted alone, the Prosecutor said, according to NOS.

The man took the woman hostage in the parking lot of the Media Park around 8:00 a.m. on Thursday morning. He took her into the building of the NPO, the Netherlands national public broadcasting organization. He didn't penetrate into the secured part of the building, where the 3FM studios are located, according tot he broadcaster.

A negotiator and a SWAT team ended the hostage situation about an hour and a half after it started. The victim wasn't hurt.

This is not the first hostage situation at the Hilversum Media Park. In January 2015 Tarik Z. tried to hijack the 8:00 p.m. NOS news broadcast. Armed with a gas pistol, Z. demanded screen time to tell the public that NOS manipulated the news and with it the public opinion. The police overpowering him was broadcast live on Dutch television. He was eventually sentenced to 40 months in prison, 24 of which conditionally suspended.