Dutch parliament complex briefly sealed off, man arrested

THE HAGUE, Netherlands – Police briefly sealed off part of the Dutch parliamentary complex Friday and arrested a man who was acting suspiciously and left a backpack on the ground.

An expert checked the backpack and found no explosives, prompting police to remove red and white tape they had used to cordon off the area.

The man was arrested after “using threatening language,” police said in a tweet, without elaborating.

The incident took place while the Dutch Cabinet was holding its weekly meeting in one of the buildings that make up the Binnenhof, or Inner Court.

The Cabinet meeting continued uninterrupted.

The Dutch Parliament is heavily guarded and normally members of the public can walk and cycle freely through the area.