A Turkish shopkeeper in the Netherlands has drawn widespread attention after calmly confronting and chasing away an armed robber from his grocery store using a bottle. The incident, involving Antalya Market in the city of Schiedam, was widely covered by Dutch media.
Mustafa Aydın, originally from Elazığ and co-owner of the market, recounted the attempted robbery to Anadolu Agency (AA). He said the incident took place on Monday evening while he was sitting quietly at the cashier desk waiting for customers.
"A young man with his face covered came in and walked straight up to me. He pulled out a gun and pointed it at me," Aydın said.
Emphasizing that he did not lose his composure, Aydın explained that he tried to grab the weapon and then attempted to stall the suspect by saying he would empty the cash register. While bending down, he discreetly pressed the panic alarm. At that moment, another customer entered the store, and the robber briefly pointed the gun at the customer, ordering them to leave.
Aydın continued to delay the suspect by saying the register was broken and that he would get money from another cash desk. "We moved to the other register. I handed him some money, and at that moment my courage increased. I raised my voice, shouted, shut the register, and started chasing him out," he said.
The robber fled the store, with Aydın pursuing him and throwing whatever objects he could grab, including bottles. The suspect managed to escape.
Police arrived at the scene approximately 10 minutes later. Aydın said security camera footage was handed over to authorities and an investigation has been launched.
The attempted robbery, thwarted by Aydın's quick thinking and bravery, received extensive coverage in the Dutch press, which highlighted the Turkish shopkeeper's calmness and courage in the face of an armed threat.