1978 Dutch province hall hostage crisis
Encyclopedia
In the morning of March 13, 1978, at 9:45AM three South-Moluccans
seized the province hall in Assen
, the Netherlands
. Some of the people inside could escape by jumping out of the window, including the Queen's Commissioner
of the Drenthe
province.
15 women and 55 men were taken into hostage.
They demanded the release of 21 prisoners who were involved in earlier hijacks and free transport to Schiphol airport and out of the country. Ultimatum was set for March 14 at 14:00.
After a few hours, hostage Ko de Groot was executed in front of a window and thrown out, to prove the hijackers were serious.
A photographer was wounded and an ambulance trying to get to the body of Ko de Groot was shot at.
During the night the marines of the BBE
forced their way into the basement. The next day, March 14, at 14:34 they raided the building from outside and from the basement. It was just after the attackers decided to shoot two of the politicians and then planned to shoot one hostage each 30 minutes.
During the raid one hostage got wounded and later died.
Maluku Islands
The Maluku Islands are an archipelago that is part of Indonesia, and part of the larger Maritime Southeast Asia region. Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone...
seized the province hall in Assen
Assen
Assen is a municipality and a city in the north eastern Netherlands, capital of the province of Drenthe. It received city rights in 1809. Assen's main claim to fame is the TT Circuit Assen the motorcycle racing circuit, where on the last Saturday in June the Dutch TT is run...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. Some of the people inside could escape by jumping out of the window, including the Queen's Commissioner
Queen's Commissioner
The Queen's Commissioner is the head of a province in the Netherlands, who is chairman of both the Provinciale Staten and the Gedeputeerde Staten , but only has a right to vote in the latter...
of the Drenthe
Drenthe
Drenthe is a province of the Netherlands, located in the north-east of the country. The capital city is Assen. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and Germany to the east.-History:Drenthe, unlike many other parts of the Netherlands, has been a...
province.
15 women and 55 men were taken into hostage.
They demanded the release of 21 prisoners who were involved in earlier hijacks and free transport to Schiphol airport and out of the country. Ultimatum was set for March 14 at 14:00.
After a few hours, hostage Ko de Groot was executed in front of a window and thrown out, to prove the hijackers were serious.
A photographer was wounded and an ambulance trying to get to the body of Ko de Groot was shot at.
During the night the marines of the BBE
Bijzondere Bijstands Eenheid
The Unit Interventie Mariniers , formerly known as the Bijzondere Bijstands Eenheid , is an elite Dutch special forces unit, which is specially trained for intervention missions...
forced their way into the basement. The next day, March 14, at 14:34 they raided the building from outside and from the basement. It was just after the attackers decided to shoot two of the politicians and then planned to shoot one hostage each 30 minutes.
During the raid one hostage got wounded and later died.
See also
- Attempt at kidnapping Juliana of the NetherlandsAttempt at kidnapping Juliana of the NetherlandsIn Spring 1975 some Moluccans attempted to kidnap Juliana, queen of the Netherlands.On March 3 that year two South-Moluccan youngsters were stopped by the police and found carrying weapons and ammunition in their car. Their plan was to rent a heavy truck and crash into the gate of the Soestdijk...
- Indonesian consulate hostage 1975
- Train hostage Wijster 1975
- Train hostage De Punt 1977
- School hostage in Bovensmilde 1977
- Bijzondere Bijstands EenheidBijzondere Bijstands EenheidThe Unit Interventie Mariniers , formerly known as the Bijzondere Bijstands Eenheid , is an elite Dutch special forces unit, which is specially trained for intervention missions...
- List of hostage crises