Bobby Boermans' Netflix crime thriller, iHostage, focuses on a shocking true incident that occurred about three years ago, on February 22, 2022, in Leidseplein, one of the most exclusive areas in central Amsterdam, famous for its vibrant nightlife. Around 5:30 PM, the police control room received information about a possible robbery. Abdel Rahman Akkad, a 27-year-old Amsterdammer, armed with a machine gun and a pistol, took about 70 people hostage in an Apple store located on the ground floor of the Hirsch building. As soon as customers learned of the robbery, chaos erupted, and those near the entrance quickly fled the store. Those unable to access the main doors hid in different places to protect themselves from the assailant.
Eleven minutes later, at 5:41 PM, a police car arrived on the scene, and Abdel shot them four times. Fortunately, no one was injured. While authorities were trying to secure the premises with fences, Abdel called the police call center to present his demands in exchange for his safety and the release of the hostages. He demanded €200 million in cryptocurrency and a free pass, meaning the right to leave the store without being arrested. Abdel, standing near the window, used a 44-year-old Bulgarian man as cover, pointing a gun at him. In the call, he threatened to blow himself up if his demands were not met in time. Some passersby reported that the assailant was wearing a bulletproof vest, suggesting he could detonate lethal explosives.
Director: Bobby Boermans
Writer: Simon de Waal
Stars: Matteo van der Grijn, Loes Haverkort, Jasmine Sendar
The entire scene is quite similar to the one we saw in the trailer for Netflix's iHostage, where a man in camouflage clothing pulled a Skorpion VZ 61 submachine gun from his bag and pointed it at customers inside the Apple Store. In the trailer, an employee and three customers could be seen hiding in a small broom closet, something that, as far-fetched as it may seem, actually happened in real life. An employee named Alex Manuputty, who was in constant contact with the police negotiator by phone, demonstrated great courage and protected the customers by hiding them from the attacker. Around 7:01 a.m., a worried Abdel sent some WhatsApp messages and photos to AT5, the local television station, informing them that the government valued money over the lives of citizens. As time passed, those hiding in the store eventually found a way to slip away, and the police rescued dozens of hostages from the building.
That evening, Abdel asked for water, which was delivered to the store door with the help of a police robot at 10:30 p.m. Abdel instructed the Bulgarian to take the water bottle from the robot, but the hostage ran toward the police to escape his attacker. Abdel impulsively ran after him, and it was then that he was intentionally run over by a patrol car, causing fatal injuries from which he never recovered. As soon as Abdel fell to the ground, the officers pointed a gun at him and examined him for explosives. However, after ensuring that he posed no serious threat to anyone, they quickly took him to the hospital, where he breathed his last a day later. Abdel died on the evening of February 23, the day after the crime.
Authorities later discovered that he was carrying harmless plastic explosives, primarily used by the Ministry of Defense for training before soldiers began working with real explosives. Of course, they were initially unsure of this information, which made Abdel a truly dangerous man and forced them to handle the matter very delicately; the situation could have easily gotten complicated.
Although Abdel died the following day, police continued to investigate the matter to determine whether Abdel acted independently or if other parties were involved in the crime. As soon as police identified the assailant, they quickly raided two houses: one where Abdel lived and the other where he frequently visited. The house, located on Spaarndammerstraat, belonged to Abdel's father, a Syrian who had moved to Amsterdam.
Abdel reportedly already had a criminal record and had previously been arrested under the Arms and Ammunition Act for firearms possession. His most recent conviction was in May 2021, when his ex-girlfriend reported him for stalking. Upon examining the crime scene, authorities even found a suspicious AH van parked in front of the Hirsch building, owned by Abdel, who worked as a delivery driver for Albert Heijn, the supermarket chain in the Netherlands.
A month after the violent hostage-taking, Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema paid tribute to the Bulgarian and the four other people who had hidden in the closet. All five received a "hero pin" from the mayor, who thanked them for their act of bravery. If it hadn't been for the Bulgarian, the police might never have been able to arrest the attacker and would have had to give in to his demands. But his split-second bravery made the difference in this case. The Bulgarian hostage, after witnessing such a terrible nightmare, personally requested that the media remove his name and images from their reports and respect his privacy. This means that, on Netflix's iHostage, the names of the hostages are likely to be altered.
Abdel's death greatly complicated the matter for the police. Because, in the end, too many questions remained unanswered. For example, what was Abdel's main objective? Where did he get his firearms? And last but not least, who gave him the explosives? I suppose the motive is still understandable, considering Abdel's financial situation was in disarray. He had started an installation company in 2018, but things didn't go well. So, obviously, he desperately needed money, but the police never found out who provided him with the firearms to commit such a crime.
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