The film is based on the true story of a hostage crisis at an Apple store.

A man storms into an Apple store, gun in hand, and fires shots. As he takes customers and employees hostage, the armed man demands a breathtaking amount of money — all in cryptocurrency — before he’ll let anyone go. iHostage, inspired by the 2022 hostage crisis at an Amsterdam Apple store, follows the attacker and those he’s holding for ransom. Directed by Bobby Boermans and written by Simon de Waal (The Golden Hour), the film stars Soufiane Moussouli, Loes Haverkort, and Marcel Hensema.

Nederland, Den Haag, 5 april 2024 Control Room Hostage Netflix Horizon film Bobby Boermans Daan Nieuwenhuijs foto: Elmer van der Marel

Who’s in the cast of iHostage?

Soufiane Moussouli as Ammar Ajar
Admir Šehović as Ilian Petrov
Loes Haverkort as Lynn, a police negotiator
Marcel Hensema as Kees van Zanten, general commander of Amsterdam’s Police Department
Emmanuel Ohene Boafo as Mingus, an Apple store employee
Matteo Van Der Grijn as Abe, leader of the Special Intervention Service team
Eric Corton as Mark, a police officer
Roosmarijn van der Hoek as Bente, a teen customer
Fockeline Ouwerkerk as Soof, Bente’s mother
Robin Boissevain as Lucas, an Apple store customer
Louis Talpe as Winston, a member of the Special Intervention Service (DSI) team
Jolanda van den Berg
Everon Jackson Hooi
Ahlmaam Teghadouini
Thijs Boermans

Admir Šehović as Ilian Petrov in ‘iHostage’

What happens in iHostage?

When an armed man, Dutch national Ammar Ajar (Moussouli) enters an Amsterdam Apple store, he demands a ransom of more than $200 million — and safe passage out of the city. He then takes Ilian Petrov (Šehović), a Bulgarian visitor, as his main hostage. Soon, chief negotiator Lynn (Haverkort) steps in, buying time for a police rescue mission by attempting to make a personal connection with Ammar. As Apple store employee Mingus (Ohene Boafo) hides as many customers as he can, General Commander Kees van Zanten (Hensema) is on a desperate mission to get everyone out safe.

“[Writer de Waal and I] both wondered what had really happened inside the store,” director Boermans tells Netflix. “And because Simon also works as a detective with the police in Amsterdam, he had access to a lot of people and information. We started investigating, and that’s when we discovered … how the police had maintained contact with the people hiding in the closet, how Apple got involved when the lights were about to automatically turn off, what impact the events had on the police officers, and so on.”

Hostages hide in a supply closet in an image from the film ‘iHostage.’

Is iHostage based on a true story?

Yes, the film is inspired by a real incident that took place in February 2022, in which a 27-year-old man took a Bulgarian citizen hostage at an Amsterdam Apple store to demand a hefty ransom in crypto. While most customers were able to flee from the store after the assailant started shooting, four others were stuck there for hours, where they hid in a supply closet.

“Fortunately, hostage situations like this are scarce in the Netherlands. That’s what made this incident bizarre,” Boermans told TIME. “A man, demanding 200 million in cryptocurrency, chose to take a hostage in broad daylight on one of the busiest squares in Amsterdam.”

Where does iHostage take place?

The film takes place at an Apple store in Amsterdam’s Leiden Square, aka Leidseplein.