Rotterdam concert by group Allah-Las cancelled after Spanish terror threat tip-off
Police stand during the evacuation the Maassilo concert venue after a concert by Californian ban Allah-Las was canceled in relation to a terror attack threat, according to police and the venue, on August 23, 2017, in Rotterdam CREDIT: AFP
- Barney Henderson, and agencies
Aconcert in Rotterdam by an American rock group named after Allah has been cancelled because of a terror threat, police have said.
The concert was cancelled after a tip-off from Spanish authorities, who have been on high alert following the Barcelona terror attack last week that left 14 people dead.
Dutch authorities later said a bus with Spanish licence plates and containing gas bottles was found near the concert arena.
Ahmed Aboutaleb, the mayor of Rotterdam, said the driver had been taken into custody.
Spain's El Pais newspaper reported that the diver of the van was Spanish.
"The ring that the police set up around the (concert hall) led to the detention of a bus with gas bottles", Mr Aboutaleb said.
"Whether the bus with gas bottles can be linked to the threat, that cannot now be established."
He warned against "swift conclusions".
Allah-Las, a Californian band, were due to play at the 1,000-person capacity Maassilo venue on Wednesday evening.
"Police took this information seriously enough that after discussion with organisers it was decided to cancel the event," Dutch police said, according to The Associated Press..
Concert organiser Rotown said earlier on Twitter that the concert venue, a former grain silo called Maassilo, was being evacuated because of the unspecified threat and concertgoers would get their money back.
The show had not yet started when the decision to cancel it was made.
The band said in a statement: "In response to the police, we are forced to cancel the concert of Allah-Las tonight in the Maassilo.
"It does not make sense to come to the Maassilo.
"Sorry for the inconvenience, more information follows."
Dutch television showed officers in body armor outside Maassilo and what appeared to be members of the band leaving the venue in a white van with a police escort. The band did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.
Allah-Las is a four-piece band from Los Angeles.
In an interview with The Guardian last year, band members said they chose the word All, Arabic for God, because they were seeking a "holy sounding" name and did not realise it might cause offence.
"We get emails from Muslims, here in the U.S. and around the world, saying they’re offended, but that absolutely wasn’t our intention," lead singer Miles Michaud told the newspaper. "We email back and explain why we chose the name, and mainly they understand."
Rotterdam concert by group Allah-Las cancelled after Spanish terror threat tip-off
