Dutch police detain suspect in concert terror threat

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands -- Alerted by a detailed tip from Spanish colleagues, Dutch police arrested a 22-year-old man early Thursday and said he was suspected of preparing a "terrorist attack" on a concert by an American rock band.

The arrest in Brabant province, south of Rotterdam, came hours after police canceled a performance Wednesday night by Los Angeles band Allah-Las at a converted grain silo in the heart of the port city.

"The suspicion is that the suspect is involved in the preparation of a terrorist attack," Rotterdam police chief Frank Paauw said.

"There is no terror threat now anymore," he added. "There is no threat because we have arrested a suspect, and the information about the threat was so specific on the location of the event that, with that arrest, we can conclude that the threat is gone."

Police searched the man's home after his arrest but released no details of anything they found. His identity was not released, in line with Dutch privacy guidelines.

Meanwhile, a Spanish mechanic detained Thursday night while driving -- apparently drunk -- a white van containing several gas canisters close to the concert venue was to be questioned once he sobered up, police said.

He did not appear to be a terror suspect, however. Police said a search of his home uncovered nothing to indicate he was linked to the threat.

Explosives experts who combed through the van's contents found a few gas canisters but nothing suspicious, police said.

The 22-year-old suspect was being questioned by police and prosecutors. If authorities want to prolong his detention, they will have to arraign him at a closed-door hearing with an investigative judge before the end of today, prosecution spokeswoman Jeichien de Graaff said.

Dutch counterterror coordinator Dick Schoof commended the police action on Twitter, saying it was "alert, appropriate for the current threat level."

It was not clear what the nature of the threat to the concert was or whether the band's name played any role in the threat.