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03/28/2024 10:24:09 am

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Man Arrested for Storming Into Dutch National Broadcaster

Clad in a black suit and tie, a 19-year old man armed with a fake gun was arrested by authorities  after storming into the Dutch national broadcaster NOS.

The man threatened the network's security guards and demanded to be given 10 minutes of air time.

Staff were immediately evacuated from the building, located at the Media Park in the city of Hilversum.

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A footage aired on Dutch TV showed the man walking in the studio with the fake gun behind his back.

The man wanted to sit in the most popular evening newscast, where he intended to announce his demands. But the security guards led him to an empty studio.

Just as the man wondered what was keeping him from going on-air, the police stormed into the studio.

"Drop it! Drop it! And get on your knees!", authorities said.

He dropped the gun and said, "I dropped it. It's dropped".

He was immediately handcuffed and taken away by the police.

Police said the man lives in the central Dutch town of Pijnacker.  His motive remains unclear.

Authorities refused to comment on reports his parents had recently died. The man is now in police custody on suspicion of making a threat, possession of weapons and taking a hostage, officials added.

The man allegedly gave a letter to a staff, which warned of bomb and cyber attacks if he wasn't allowed to go on air.  The letter was published on the NOS website.

News programs were disrupted, prompting the network to flash a message that read: "In connection with circumstances, no broadcast is available at this time."

NOS airs the most popular television newscast in the Netherlands.

Security had been tight there since politician Pim Fortuyn was shot in the Media Park in 2002.

Officials had also beefed up security across Europe following the attacks on the offices of the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo and a kosher supermarket in Paris this month.

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