HOLLAND: Dutch police stormed an apartment in The Hague and arrested two people yesterday, ending a 14-hour stand-off that began when suspects who were sought in an anti-terrorism probe wounded three officers in a hand grenade blast.
A police spokesman said a special unit entered the apartment to end the drama that began when officers launched a pre-dawn raid on the building. Police said the suspects resisted and threw a grenade at them.
Throughout the day, heavily armed police circled the building located in a poor neighbourhood where almost half the population is immigrant. The area was cordoned off and airspace over the city closed.
One bystander estimated there were almost 200 police on the scene, including officers wearing balaclavas and carrying machine guns.
"The police are now investigating the apartment," the police spokesman said. "The siege is over." One of the suspects was said to have been injured in the shoulder, according to authorities.
The raid came amid an upsurge in violence following the killing of outspoken filmmaker Mr Theo van Gogh last week. Officials declined to say whether there was a link between the two events.
Authorities claim an Islamic militant shot and stabbed Mr Van Gogh on November 2nd. The filmmaker has enraged Muslims with a film accusing Islam of promoting violence against women.
The raid recalled a police operation in Madrid in the wake of the March train bombings when seven suspects blew themselves up after police cornered them in a suburban apartment.
Violence has spiralled in the Netherlands - a country renowned for its tolerance and liberal views - since Mr Van Gogh's death.
Police have arrested 10 people in their investigation of the killing and are still holding six, including the prime suspect who is also charged with links to a group with terrorist plans.
Prosecutors have said they are looking for other militant cells and possible links with international Islamist groups.
More than 10 mosques and churches have been hit by arson attacks since Mr Van Gogh was killed. On Tuesday night there was an arson attack on a Muslim school, where the words "Theo R.I.P." were scrawled on the walls along with a "White Power" sign.
A little-known Islamist group threatened on Tuesday to hit the Netherlands if the attacks on Muslim buildings did not stop.
The country has received several threats from Islamic militants over the presence of 1,300 of its troops in Iraq.
Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende told parliament he would work with organisations representing the almost 1 million Muslims who make up almost 6 percent of the population.
