A Dutch TV Station Was Hijacked By A Gunman

Reports surfaced on Thursday of a gunman entering a Dutch broadcaster, NOS, demanding airtime during the main evening news program, prompting the network to go off air. Staff were evacuated from the building in the central Dutch town of Hilversum, and there were no immediate reports of injuries. The gunman was arrested quickly after entering the NOS studios, and an NOS employee tweeted in confirmation that the armed man was overpowered and has since been removed.

As of 7 p.m. GMT, the station was broadcasting a placeholder image with a message in Dutch reading:

In connection with circumstances, no broadcast is available at this time.

NOS director Jan de Jong told Radio1 that there was no indication that the national broadcaster could be a terrorist target. According to Reuters, local police could not be reached for comment, and Dutch officials have yet to remark on the incident. It was not clear what the gunman wanted to say on air.

Image: Twitter/Marieke Wissink