Police in Venlo are investigating the case of a man who claimed to have been kidnapped and then released with an explosive device tied to his leg, news agency ANP reports.

Police sealed off an area around the Casinoweg in the Limburg town for several hours last night. The device was not found to contain explosives although there is evidence the man had been taken against his will, police said.

The man had something tied to his leg and genuinely believed it was a bomb, police said. ‘He is in shock,’ a spokesman told the news agency.