Allah-Las Netherlands Gig Cancelled Due To Potential Terror Threat

24 August 2017 | 8:38 am | Staff Writer

The show was cancelled just before doors were to open to the public, according to Dutch police.

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US rock band Allah-Las have had to cancel a planned gig in the Netherlands city of Rotterdam following an apparent terror threat, according to multiple reports.

According to The Guardian, Dutch police received a terror warning from Spanish police ahead of the concert, which was cancelled shortly before doors were to open to the public at 7pm. The venue, Maassilo, was also evacuated as part of the precautions.

The band's label, Mexican Summer, released a statement to the Associated Press explaining, "Due to a potential terror threat at the Maassilo in Rotterdam, the Allah-Las show was cancelled tonight."

"Details are not available at this time as the incident is still under investigation. The band is unharmed and are very grateful to the Rotterdam police and other responsible agencies for detecting the potential threat before anyone was hurt."

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In the wake of the cancellation, Dutch police located a van with Spanish license plates nearby, containing a number of gas tanks. The driver was detained and has been questioned, while a bomb squad was deployed to investigate the van.

Spanish police are still investigating last week's fatal vehicle attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils, during which they located equipment used in the making of bombs. However, according to AFP and Reuters, a Spanish judicial source has said that there is no indication the van discovered in Rotterdam is connected to those incidents.

Rotterdam mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb urged people not to make "swift conclusions" about the discovery and was hesitant to link the van to the concert terror threat, telling a press conference (per Reuters):

"The ring that the police set up around the [venue] led to the detention of a bus with gas bottles … Whether the bus with gas bottles can be linked to the threat, that cannot now be established."

The investigation is continuing.