Large police presence at Utrecht Science Park *Update*

Shortly before 7 p.m. this evening, a police spokesperson reported that the university buildings in the north-west corner of De Uithof had been reopened. Around 3.30 p.m., two separate reports had been received about a man with a firearm.

The area around the Koningsberger building on Budapestlaan was cordoned off. The same applies to the access roads to that building and adjacent buildings of the Faculties of Science and Geosciences. These are partly connected to the Koningsberger building. Public transport was also suspended for some time.

The buildings closed their doors two hours earlier than usual, at half past five. Staff were asked to leave calmly. At that point, it was still unclear what was going on. There was no evacuation of the UU. From tomorrow, all buildings will reopen as usual during regular opening hours.

According to the police spokesperson, further investigation will clarify exactly what happened. This will include investigating whether the man had already left the buildings before the police arrived. However, the possibility of a student prank has not been ruled out.

Earlier this evening, a DUB employee saw a large number of police cars and fire engines in the vicinity of the Koningsberger Building. Special units had been deployed in front of the entrance to the Botanical Gardens on Budapestlaan.

As travelling by tram or bus was not possible for some time, students and staff walked towards the city centre. Many people waited at the bus stop in front of the Kruyt Building until they could collect their cars from the car park on Budapestlaan. At the same time, they were able to follow developments across the street.

From around 6 p.m., the police operation ended and public transport resumed.