A gunman has burst into a Amsterdam office building
and is holding hostages, say Dutch police.

The drama began at 0930
(0830 GMT) on Monday
morning at the Rembrandt
Tower in the east of the city,
which houses a number of
major financial firms.

"The man is armed with a
gun," police spokeswoman
Elly Florax told BBC News
Online.

"He is holding people in the
entrance hall and is not allowing them to leave."

She added that police were
in contact with the gunman
who had "made certain
demands".

After more than three
hours of negotiations, six
women were seen leaving
the building individually at
short intervals.

Hundreds of people inside
the 35-storey tower - the
tallest in Amsterdam -
have been told to stay in
their offices.

The Dutch state
broadcaster, NOS, said it
had received a statement from the man, who said he
was "demonstrating against the manipulative sellers of
wide-screen television".

He accused them of selling "creative nonsense".

Banners

Banners also appeared at the office block windows, said
reporters at the scene, reading "We mislead", and "We
lie".

A witness quoted by Dutch
television said the suspect
had forced hostages to stick
up the signs.

A spokesman for Philips
Electronics, which had its
headquarters in the tower
until last July, said the
company had been named in
negotiations between the
gunman and police.

Unconfirmed reports said the
man was armed with some
kind of assault rifle, and
claimed to have explosives.

Workers trapped

Around 100 police officers have gone to the scene and
have sealed off the area. Ambulances and fire crews
were also on standby.

A worker inside the building contacted by BBC News
Online said she was not permitted to discuss what was
happening.

Some firms diverted their phones away from the
building to their offices in other major European cities.

"We are still trying to find out exactly how many people
are inside," said Ms Florax, "but it is a huge building,
and is proving very difficult."

Top names

The 135-metre (443-foot) tower is home to around 50
companies, including some of the city's biggest financial
firms.

Big names housed there include Merrill Lynch, Lehman
Brothers, Rabo Securities, and ING bank.

Fashion house Gucci also has offices there, along with
the Thai consulate.

The nearby Amstel station was closed off as the drama
continued.