Allah-Las concert cancelled over terror fears
A van containing gas canisters was stopped by police in Rotterdam after a tip-off from Spanish colleagues
An American rock band has cancelled a performance in Rotterdam following a "terror threat" and the discovery of a Spanish-registered van containing gas canisters near the venue.
The Spanish driver of the van has been detained by local police for questioning.
"Police said the concert by Los Angeles band Allah-Las was called off after Dutch police received a tip-off from Spanish police at around 5.30pm local time," The Australian reports. The band receives regular threats of violence because of its name.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Rotterdam police spokesman Roland Ekkers told reporters it was "too soon to say if the van was directly connected" to the band's decision to cancel the show, according to CNN.
"It can also be someone who was going to a camping site, but with the threat that we have, and what we found in the van, we decided to investigate," Ekkers said. He added that "about five" gas canisters had been recovered and were being examined by explosives experts.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Moon dust has earthly elements thanks to a magnetic bridgeUnder the radar The substances could help supply a lunar base
-
World’s oldest rock art discovered in IndonesiaUnder the Radar Ancient handprint on Sulawesi cave wall suggests complexity of thought, challenging long-held belief that human intelligence erupted in Europe
-
Claude Code: the viral AI coding app making a splash in techThe Explainer Engineers and noncoders alike are helping the app go viral
-
China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
-
How Bulgaria’s government fell amid mass protestsThe Explainer The country’s prime minister resigned as part of the fallout
-
Normalising relations with the Taliban in AfghanistanThe Explainer The regime is coming in from the diplomatic cold, as countries lose hope of armed opposition and seek cooperation on counterterrorism, counter-narcotics and deportation of immigrants
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal