A male teenager stormed the headquarters of a Dutch broadcasting company late Thursday and demanded airtime before police promptly apprehended him, the Associated Press reported.
Wearing a black suit and tie, the 19-year-old approached a security guard at national broadcaster NOS headquarters and demanded entrance while brandishing a pistol, which police later determined was fake.
"We are hired in by intelligence agencies," the unidentified youth said according to recorded footage of the incident reviewed by the AP. He warned bombs would detonate around the Netherlands if his request for airtime was not granted.
It wasn't long before officers armed with real weapons stormed the station and demanded the teen drop the pistol. He surrendered without a struggle and was taken away for questioning, the AP reported.
The building, located 12 miles east of Amsterdam in Hilversum, was evacuated as police searched the premises but no bombs were found.
The man, who has no criminal record, is from the town of Pijnacker and claimed to be from a group of hackers, according to a NOS reporter who spoke to the AP. He is being held on charges of suspicion of making a threat, taking a hostage and weapons possession.
Police said there was no sign the incident was linked to terrorism, which of late has caused Europe to be on high alert in light of this month's deadly attacks on the Paris satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo.
"This is your worst nightmare, especially after Charlie Hebdo," said NOS director Jan de Jong.