Video: Police arrest nearly naked man after The Hague City Hall, Library evacuation
Updated at 12:30 to add the arrest information.
The city hall of The Hague and the nearby Central Library on Spui were evacuated Thursday morning, Omroep West reports. A man was detained after a specialized police team entered the city hall around noon. Images from the scene show the blindfolded man, wearing only his underwear, being taken away by police.
Public transport in The Hague was briefly halted. Around 12:30 p.m., once the barricades had been removed, operator HTM reported that tram and bus services had resumed their normal routes through the city center.
An employee of the Municipality of The Hague told Omroep West that an alarm suddenly went off inside City Hall, prompting confusion over whether it was a drill or a real emergency. “We didn't know if it was a serious situation or if it was just a drill,” he said. “After all, we have an annual drill, but this time we really all had to evacuate.”
He said that once outside, he saw multiple emergency services, a police helicopter, and a police arrest team deployed at the scene. The police Explosives Safety Team also arrived at City Hall, he added. Just before 12:30 p.m., he observed the cordons being lifted.
Police confirmed the evacuations around 11:59 a.m., stating that everyone inside both buildings was ordered outside as the situation developed.
Authorities then declared a Grip 1 regional emergency just after noon. The alarm calls for all responding personnel to unite under a single incident commander, and the emergency declaration makes it easier to request assistance from first responders stationed further away.
