The closure of the hall at Eindhoven Airport last Sunday appears to have been the result of a false report with a made-up threat.
A 46-year-old man from Turnhout, Belgium, who reported that serious criminals had threatened him with an attack, invented this story. The public prosecutor of Antwerp confirmed that on Tuesday.
On Sunday evening a woman from the Brussels region reported to the police that she received disturbing messages from an acquaintance. That knowledge was threatening a friend of hers with death. This ‘victim’ was at Eindhoven Airport at that time to pick up a family member. According to the public prosecutor’s office, the threat was ‘particularly serious’. The police in Belgium then informed the police in the Netherlands.
The police and the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee at Eindhoven Airport showed up in large numbers. For example, officers wore bullet-proof vests and two police helicopters circled above the airport. The departure hall was closed and passengers were not allowed to leave their aircraft or they had to wait in the building.
The 46-year-old man was eventually arrested at the airport. He has since confessed and was brought before the examining magistrate in Turnhout on Tuesday. He is charged with spreading false information. According to the public prosecutor’s office it is not yet clear why the man himself sent the threat messages.
Source: Omroep Brabant
Translator: Dirk
