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Hostage Situation Reported at Apple Store in Amsterdam [Updated]

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Apr 12, 2001
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Police officers are surrounding Apple Amsterdam in Leidseplein following reports that a gunman entered the store. A video shared on Twitter showed a man in a balaclava holding a gun while gripping a possible hostage, and Amsterdam police have confirmed that there is indeed a hostage situation.

apple-amsterdam.jpg

People in surrounding buildings have been ordered to stay indoors, and the area around the store has been cordoned off. The attack happened at 5:40 p.m. local time, and Amsterdam police are not providing additional information to ensure the safety of all people involved.


More detail on what's going on can be sourced from local Amsterdam news sites such as Het Parool, De Telegraaf, NOS, and AT5, which are providing updates.

Update: Police have confirmed that several people that were being held hostage at the Amsterdam Apple Store have been freed. No other information has been shared. "Since the start of the hostage situation in the Apple Store on Leidseplein, several people have been able to leave the building. We do not want to share any information about the situation in and around the building at the moment."

Update 2: The remaining hostage is safe and the hostage taker is now in police custody.


Article Link: Hostage Situation Reported at Apple Store in Amsterdam [Updated]
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2022/02/22/apple-store-amsterdam-robbery/
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  • Wow
Reactions: DeepIn2U
Probably took a hostage after they told him that he can't actually get any money because I don't think they usually take cash (or people don't often use it anymore, especially for expensive items) and the devices are locked down so you can't resell them. An Apple Store is among the worst places you could rob.
 
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macduke said:
Probably took a hostage after they told him that he can't actually get any money because I don't think they usually take cash (or people don't often use it anymore, especially for expensive items) and the devices are locked down so you can't resell them. An Apple Store is among the worst places you could rob.
Click to expand...

They're also usually located in either upscale or very centric places -or both centric and upscale- where police is always standing near-by, so, good luck robbing there...
 
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macduke said:
Probably took a hostage after they told him that he can't actually get any money because I don't think they usually take cash (or people don't often use it anymore, especially for expensive items) and the devices are locked down so you can't resell them. An Apple Store is among the worst places you could rob.
Click to expand...

AirPods aren't locked and don't require activation.

To be honest, they're pretty ideal in terms of value to volume/weight ratio for thieves, especially the AirPods Pro.
 
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iPhonNick said:
Glad I don't live in Amsterdam :(
Military experts and specialized enforcements have also arrived on scene. I sure hope everyone is safe out there!
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I actually live a few minutes walk from the Apple Store... wow, didn't realize this was happening until I saw it here... I'll avoid being a douchy looky loo and heading there...

BTW Amsterdam is a very safe city... almost an order of magnitude more safe than any US city (and I've lived in SF, NYC, LA, PHX)... this is a once in a decade or more sort of thing! Terrible!
 
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JPack said:
AirPods aren't locked and don't require activation.

To be honest, they're pretty ideal in terms of value to volume/weight ratio for thieves, especially the AirPods Pro.
Click to expand...

Unless you use them with an Apple device which has iCloud, in which case they get added to Find My, at which point Apple has them (and their location) (and you).
 
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macduke said:
Probably took a hostage after they told him that he can't actually get any money because I don't think they usually take cash (or people don't often use it anymore, especially for expensive items) and the devices are locked down so you can't resell them. An Apple Store is among the worst places you could rob.
Click to expand...
I don't know if it is also the case for the Apple store, but I know that the three biggest providers in the Netherlands (T-Mobile, KPN and VodafoneZiggo) no longer keep stock of mobile devices in their stores because of the increased number of robberies. You can still look at phones there, but then have to order them for delivery.
 
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chucker23n1 said:
Unless you use them with an Apple device which has iCloud, in which case they get added to Find My, at which point Apple has them (and their location) (and you).
Click to expand...

That's not really a problem for the criminal as they've already sold them. And I doubt many police forces are willing to help recover $249, especially in a high density area like Europe where a dot on a map represents dozens of households.
 
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aknabi said:
I actually live a few minutes walk from the Apple Store... wow, didn't realize this was happening until I saw it here... I'll avoid being a douchy looky loo and heading there...

BTW Amsterdam is a very safe city... almost an order of magnitude more safe than any US city (and I've lived in SF, NYC, LA, PHX)... this is a once in a decade or more sort of thing! Terrible!
Click to expand...
I agree: Amsterdam is indeed a safe city, traffic could be confusing sometimes, but that's because I don't drive in Amsterdam regularly. Stay safe!
 
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Reactions: chris1958 and imanidiot
I hope no one gets hurt, and the robbery guy finds his own peace.
 
There's rumours going around of the guy wearing a bomb vest, although I have not seen any good sources confirming this yet, so take it with a grain of salt.
 
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