A Concert Venue In The Netherlands Has Been Evacuated After A Terrorist Threat

Arie Kievit / AFP / Getty Images

Dutch police evacuated a concert venue in the city of Rotterdam on Wednesday after receiving intelligence about a terrorist threat, according to authorities.

Officers have detained a man driving a van from Spain, police said in a statement on Twitter.

The Associated Press reported that a van containing gas bottles was stopped near the concert venue, The Maassilo.

Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb told the AP that the venue was evacuated after Dutch authorities received a tip from police in Spain, who are investigating the terror attack in Catalonia last week that killed 15 people.

Arie Kievit / AFP / Getty Images

The band that was scheduled to play at the venue, the Allah -Lahs, is a California-based group.

The band released this statement to BuzzFeed News:

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.

We are unable to comment any further at this time.

The venue posted a message to Twitter that read, "Because of a terror threat, the concert of Allah-Las is not on, due to the police tonight!

The US State Department issued a message warning Americans to avoid the area.

"Police have closed off the area, and a heavy police presence is on the scene," the State Department said.

In a 2016 interview with the Guardian, lead Allah-Lahs singer Miles Michaud said the band chose their name because they wanted something "holy sounding."

“We get emails from Muslims, here in the US and around the world, saying they’re offended, but that absolutely wasn’t our intention,” Michaud told the paper. “We email back and explain why we chose the name and mainly they understand.”

European investigators have been frantically working to determine the extent of the terror cell behind the Spain attacks. Police in Catalonia have said the terrorists had planned to use explosives in their attacks, but were forced to use vehicles after an accidental explosion that killed three plotters on Wednesday night.

This is a developing news story. Check back for updates or follow BuzzFeed News on Twitter.

LINK: A Terrorism Plot Like Barcelona Requires A Leader. So Who Was It?

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