Amsterdam airport evacuated as Dutch police shoot man armed with knife
Suspect taken to hospital after being shot in the leg in incident that is not terror-related
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Dutch military police have shot a man after he threatened to use a knife at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport.
In a tweet, the Marechaussee police service said the "situation is safe" and the suspect has been detained and removed from the scene.
The force confirmed the suspect had been shot in the leg and was arrested before being transferred to hospital.
Spokesman Stan Verberkt said the incident on Friday afternoon was not being treated as an extremist attack.
Mr Verberkt told The Associated Press that "the circumstances are telling us that it has nothing to do with terrorism".
Parts of Schiphol, which is just outside Amsterdam and one of Europe's busiest airports, were evacuated for a short time but have since been reopened.
This included Roos van der Ven says Schiphol Plaza, an area populated with shops, bars and restaurants, was evacuated, but not "airside" parts of the airport behind the check-in area and security checks.
The incident comes as Europe remains on high alert due to a string of terror attacks on multiple locations, including airports.
In March 2016, 32 people were killed and more than 300 people were injured in three coordinated terror attacks in Brussels, Belgium which included an attack on the city's airport.
The plotters behind the Paris terror attack in 2015 had also plotted to bomb Schiphol.
In January the head of the airport, Jos Nijhuis, called for up to 500 more military police officers to patrol Schiphol due to increased security concerns.
There are currently 1,800 officers stationed there but Mr Nijhuis derided plans to introduce just 135 extra – saying they needed hundreds more.
Additional reporting by agencies
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments