Eindhoven cop hospitalized as suspicious powder forces police station evacuation

A portion of a police station in Eindhoven was evacuated on Friday after a package containing a suspicious powder arrived at the location. One officer who came into contact with the powder was taken to an area hospital.

Specialisten van Defensie onderzoeken op dit moment een pakketje met een nog onbekende stof bij het politiebureau op de Michelangelolaan in #eindhoven. Volgens protocol zijn daarbij uit voorzorg meerdere hulpdiensten aanwezig. pic.twitter.com/p5jnAlI5W7

— Politie Eenheid Oost-Brabant (@POL_OostBrabant) September 8, 2023

The incident happened at the police station on Michelangelolaan, police said. A large number of emergency services workers were sent to the scene to provide assistance, and experts from the Dutch military were also at the location. According to local media, a specialist team from Amsterdam was also dispatched to the Noord-Brabant city.

The police officer was taken to the hospital as a precaution, a spokesperson told ANP. At the same time, one local newspaper stated that someone who felt unwell was being treated for their symptoms. It was not immediately clear if that person was the police officer who came in contact with the package.

The contents of the package could not be immediately identified. In keeping with an existing protocol, the police officer was brought in for a check up.

The escalated response was a precaution in line with that protocol, police said. The street between the police station and the Catharina Hospital was cordoned off. The military team examined the package, and the emergency response was allowed to be scaled down just after 3:30 p.m.

However, the affected part of the police station was going to remain empty for some time to allow the ongoing investigation to proceed. According to one news report, the package was found in a parking lot near a side entrance.