Amsterdam gives Hero's Pin to Apple Store hostage, four others

On Thursday, Mayor Femke Halsema of Amsterdam honored five people who had to endure the hostage situation in the Apple Store on Leidseplein in February. The Bulgarian man who was held at gunpoint and four people who hid in a closet for hours all received a Hero's Pin from Halsema.

"On behalf of all Amsterdammers, I thanked them for their courage and decisiveness," Halsema said on Instagram. According to the mayor, the whole country sympathized with the Bulgarian, who ended the hostage situation when he decided "in a split second" to get away from the hostage situation when he had to collect the water the hostage-taker had asked for in front of the store. The 27-year-old suspect from Amsterdam ran after him and was hit by a police car. He died a day later from his injuries.

"His heroic act was incredibly brave, even if he doesn't see himself as a hero," Halsema said about the Bulgarian man, who asked to remain anonymous like the other four. According to Halsema, they, too, were courageous. "Despite their plight, they were able to pass on important information about the hostage situation to the police."

During the hostage situation, the perpetrator fired a gun at the police and threatened to blow himself up, among other things. He demanded 200 million euros in cryptocurrency and safe-conduct from the property. The police took about 70 people hiding in the building to safety during and after the hostage crisis.