Shocking news: 19-year-old gunman storms into Dutch TV studio and demands airtime

Yesterday evening, a 19-year-old man identified in Dutch media as 'Tarik Zahzah' forced his way into the studio of Dutch public broadcaster NOS in Hilversum - demanding to be put on air.

Cameras were shut down for an hour as the suspect, who was wearing a formal black suit and tie, seized control of the studio. The gunman took the security guard hostage and said he wanted air time.

It is believed that NOS was targeted because it produces the most widely watched newscast in the Netherlands and guaranteed the gunman the biggest audience.

Police said the man threatened to detonate bombs in several locations around the Netherlands if he was stopped from going on-air.

Dramatic footage aired on Dutch TV shows the gunman pacing the studio with a silenced pistol behind his back.

The armed Dutchman, who lives in the central Dutch town of Pijnacker, near the university town Delft, was taken into an empty studio by a quick-thinking security guard.

"This is taking too long," the gunman can be heard saying in the deserted studio.

The teen was instead quickly arrested.  Police could be heard shouting "drop it, drop it and get on your knees" as they stormed the studio with guns trained on the 19-year-old. No-one was injured and no shots were fired during the arrest, which took place some ten minutes after the teen entered the studio wielding the weapon. Police special forces swept the building for explosives but found nothing, police spokesman Christine Scholts said.

Three weeks after the bloody events at Charlie Hebdo in Paris, many questions are being asked about security at the NOS headquarters and at the Media Park in Hilversum where this incident took place and where many broadcasters are based.

Hilversum mayor Pieter Broertjes said on Friday that security would be increased and more police would be on duty.

Gunman arrested by the Police

Of course, Patty Brard (as a media personality working on SBS 6) reacted to this sad event on Facebook and Twitter. She called Tarik a "#Mafketel" (a "disturbed guy" in Dutch).

Source: NOS, Facebook, Twitter, Dutchnews.nl, Express.co.uk....