Counterfeit cash, insecticide in suspicious suitcase at Schiphol

A suitcase confiscated at Schiphol on Tuesday that made five people unwell contained an insecticide and a "huge amount of counterfeit euro banknotes", a spokesperson for the Koninklijke Marechaussee confirmed to NU.nl on Wednesday. It is not yet clear whether it was the insecticide - Dimethoate - that made the people sick.

Dimethoate is usually not dangerous to human health. The insecticide was identified in the first run of tests. More tests are being done to figure out whether the suitcase contained any other substances, said the Marechaussee - a policing force that works as part of the Dutch military and is responsible for border security, including at airports.

The suitcase was found and confiscated at Schiphol airport on Tuesday afternoon. It was taken to the Customs offices in office building The Outlook, about a kilometer away from the arrival- and departure halls. When it was opened, five employees became unwell. Their symptoms quickly subsided and they did not have to go to hospital for treatment.

The Marechaussee is investigating this strange find.