A man with a firearm walked into an Apple store in central Amsterdam late Tuesday and was holding one or more people hostage, police said, adding that they had ringed the area.

“There is an ongoing hostage situation at the Apple Store at Leidseplein at the moment,” the city police force said on Twitter.

“To ensure the safety of all people involved we are not able to share information about the situation and/or actions taken by the police.

“We would like to ask all public to stay away from the site so the police can focus on dealing with the situation,” they said.

Police said there were several special units deployed to “get the situation under control,” adding that they had been alerted of an armed robbery at 5:40 pm (1640 GMT) which had rapidly transformed into a hostage situation.

They were monitoring images circulating on social media which would eventually be used in an investigation, they added.

Tim Wagemakers, an independent journalist who was in a nearby building, tweeted that there were heavily armed police at the site.

That building has since been evacuated.

Images on social media showed a gunman holding an unarmed man at gunpoint, local media reported. Several witnesses heard gunshots inside the Apple Store, according to the AT5 outlet.

Courtesy(excluding headline) AFP

•An armed member of the DSI (Dutch Special Intervention Service) arrives at Leidseplein during an hostage situation in an Amsterdam’s Apple Store