Doctor held hostage at Rotterdam clinic; perpetrator at large

A doctor was held hostage at the Velthuis clinic on Jan Leentvaarlaan in Rotterdam for some time on Thursday afternoon. He has since been rescued. The police are searching for the perpetrator, NU.nl reports.

The doctor was bound and threatened with a firearm, a spokesperson for the police confirmed to the newspaper. Someone inside the clinic called the police around 1:00 p.m. Emergency services responded en masse. The building was evacuated, and the doctor was cut free. He was taken to a hospital for observation. No one was injured, the police spokesperson said.

"Four SWAT vans came and men with walkie-talkies", an eye witness said to newspaper AD. He also saw negotiators and people in bulletproof vests arrive. "I was cycling by on my way home from school. I saw people coming out of the building. They were crying."

The motive for this hostage taking is not yet clear.

The Velthuis clinic is a plastic surgery institution. Treatments offered there include breast augmentations, facelifts, and wrinkle treatments, according to AD.