Apple store gunman who demanded $220M crypto ransom dies by cop car

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—by Protos Staff
A gunman who commandeered an Amsterdam Apple store and demanded a $230-million crypto ransom has died in hospital after a five-hour standoff.

A 27-year-old man who took over an Apple Store in central Amsterdam, took a hostage, and demanded a €200-million ($223 million) crypto ransom has died in hospital after being mown down by a police car.

The armed suspect, named by Het Parool as Abdel Rahman Akkad, took control of the shop in the city’s bustling Leidseplein area on Tuesday. A tense five-hour standoff with police followed.

The outlet reported the situation ended when Akkad’s 44-year-old Bulgarian hostage, an Apple customer, fled as police delivered water.

The BBC highlighted that the victim was Bulgarian while Dutch media initially claimed they were British.

In any case, the luckless perpetrator, an Amsterdammer, was struck by a cop-driven BMW while attempting to recapture him.

  • Police had dispatched several special units to the Amsterdam Apple store to tackle Akkad, who wore military-style clothing and carried a number of weapons.
  • Akkad reportedly fired on police four times. While around 70 people escaped, the kidnapper held one man at gunpoint.
  • Police robots inspected the assailant and found that, while he did have a small amount of explosives on his person, they were not ready to detonate.

“A car from the special forces reacted very adequately and alertly,” said Frank Paauw, a police chief (via The Guardian).

“The hostage has played a hero role. In a few split seconds, he escaped this hostage situation, otherwise, it would have been an even longer night.”

“A photo in the hands of Het Parool shows the hostage-taker, dressed in a camouflage suit, together with the hostage. They sit opposite each other, the hostage seems handcuffed with his hands behind his back,” wrote Het Parool (automatically translated).

Akkad’s lawyer, who reportedly represented him in multiple cases, confirmed his death to the media.

In a statement (relayed by MacRumors), Apple said: “We want to thank local law enforcement for their exceptional work and ongoing investigation.”

“Our teams and customers took swift action and showed incredible strength and resolve today, and we are so thankful for the support and care they’ve shown each other under such challenging circumstances.”

Warning: These are the final moments of the stand-off and the content may be disturbing to some. Caution is advised.

Read more: [Black hat hackers hit white hats with ransomware, demand $70M Bitcoin]

While Akkad sent selfies to news outlet AT5 during the stand-off, their motive is not totally clear.

And exactly in which crypto Akkad demanded the ransom be paid hasn’t been reported.

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