Heavily armed military police sealed off part of Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport for hours after arresting a man for unspecified suspicious behaviour and summoning explosives experts to check his luggage.
Police in body armour and ski masks brandishing machine guns patrolled the airport for four hours while the investigation was under way, stranding scores of passengers who could not get to their parked cars because parts of the airport were sealed off.
Flights at the busy aviation hub appeared largely unaffected by the security scare and trains to the airport's station continued running throughout the security scare.
In the early hours local time, military police spokesman Alfred Ellwanger told AP that "no dangerous materials were found" in the arrested suspect's luggage and the tight security measures were lifted.
He had no details on the man's identity. He said the arrest followed "a report of a suspicious situation," but didn't elaborate.Ellwanger said the man who was arrested remained in custody and under investigation.
The Netherlands has been on high alert since the deadly suicide bombing attacks on Brussels airport and subway last month in neighbouring Belgium.
Controlled evacuation of Amsterdam #Schiphol Airport underway under the watchful eye of armed authorities...pic.twitter.com/rGcy6JRTQX— Tony Fonderson (@TonyFonderson) April 12, 2016
BREAKING Security threat at Amsterdam Schiphol airporthttps://t.co/DySKRProFz pic.twitter.com/F1heJ2W9Dz (pic:@PepijnCrone)— AIRLIVE (@airlivenet) April 12, 2016
Schiphol spokeswoman Danielle Timmer said that flights to and from the airport were not affected.
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