Dutch police arrest man on train after he locks self in bathroom

The police had earlier tweeted that seven platforms of the station had been cleared as a precaution as negotiators engaged the man in discussions. “Then their were armed tactical police everywhere”. The train had to be stopped and evacuated.

Armed police swarmed a packed passenger train this morning after a man boarded the train and screamed: “I’ve got a bomb”. The police started taking down safety measures and releasing Rotterdam Central Station around 1:00 p.m. Police said they had not yet determined why the man locked himself in the toilet or if he was simply trying to avoid paying a fare.

The incident came a month after a suspected jihadist opened fire on a Thalys train in northern France before being overwhelmed by four passengers. Other services have been cancelled.

According to the reports, a man locked himself in the train’s washroom and claimed he was armed with a bomb.

Soon after the incident, Thalys in a tweet reported that, “Security forces have situation under control”.

“The suspect is in the toilet, and the train is empty of passengers”.

The Dutch national railway NS reported disruptions to train traffic around Rotterdam as a result of the incident and warned passengers to expect delays of up to an hour.

El Kahzani had been to Syria, prompting fears that he had fought for Islamic State (IS) there.