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Dutch step up terror probe after rock concert cancelled
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A van with a Spanish numberplate near the concert venue Maassilo is seen during police investigations after a rock concert was cancelled due to a terror threat, in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, on August 23, 2017. A rock concert in Rotterdam was cancelled on August 23 due to a terror threat involving a Spanish van found with gas bottles inside, the local mayor said. (Agence France -Presse/Arie Kievit)
D
utch police stepped up a probe Thursday into a possible terror threat, arresting another man after cancelling a Rotterdam concert by a US rock group following a tip-off from Spanish authorities.
The 22-year-old was arrested in a pre-dawn raid on a house in the Brabant region, where there was "also an extensive search," police said in a statement, adding that the driver of a van with Spanish plates held late Wednesday also remained in custody.
The arrests come after twin vehicle attacks in Spain last week killed 15 people, and were claimed by the Islamic State group.
In May, a suicide bomber killed 22 people including seven children at a concert by US singer Ariana Grande in the English city of Manchester.
"A 22-year-old man from Brabant was arrested Thursday morning in the investigation into a terrorist threat Wednesday evening in Rotterdam," Dutch police said in a statement.
It was the second arrest after the van driver was held late Wednesday in Rotterdam, only hours after officials cancelled a concert planned by Californian rock group Allah-Las.
The driver, who "appeared to be under the influence of an alcoholic substance, was detained and transferred to a police facility" on Wednesday, police said, adding that officers had found a "couple of gas canisters" in his van.
The driver, who police said was a mechanic, will be interviewed again Thursday.
But Dutch authorities have cautioned there may be no link between the van driver and the terror tip-off from Spanish police.
Witness Usama Mohamed told AFP he had watched events unfold close to the Maassilo concert hall, after the van was spotted in a nearby street.
"What I saw was a vehicle with lots of gas cylinders inside," Mohamed said.
"After what happened in Barcelona, I think the police really took the situation seriously and didn't want to take any risks in Rotterdam."
