The Hague city hall evacuated amid “suspicious situation”

The Hague city hall and the adjacent central library have been evacuated after what police called a “suspicious situation”, and a specialist police unit arrested a man inside the building.

Hundreds of council and library staff, along with customers in the ground-floor cafés, were ordered out of the large white complex around midday.

Heavily armed officers, a police helicopter and an explosives unit were deployed, and the surrounding area, including the normally busy Spui, was cordoned off.

The arrest team detained a man who was led out wearing only underwear and a black blindfold, Omroep West reported. Police said he was the “only suspect” and that the danger had passed.

A council employee told the broadcaster that an alarm had gone off without warning. “We didn’t know whether it was serious or a drill,” he said. “We have one every year, but this time we all really had to go outside.”

Police have not said what the suspicious situation involved. The cordons were lifted and city-centre tram and bus services returned to their normal routes by around 12.30, though staff had not yet been allowed back into the buildings.