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Police officers wearing bulletproof vests descended on the Maassilo venue in Rotterdam while an anti-terror unit was also on-site, according to local media. The gig was cancelled following a tip-off from Spanish police and the mayor of Rotterdam has now confirmed a small van with Spanish number plates and "gas bottles" was found near the venue. Dutch police officers stopped the driver of the van in Rotterdam and have taken him into custody. Rotterdam mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb told a news conference it wasn't clear whether the threat and the van were connected. He told reporters: "We should not draw conclusions too fast." WHO ARE US ROCK BAND ALLAH-LAS?

GETTY•TWITTER•EPA The venue was evacuated earlier today after a tip-off from Spanish police

"The ring that the police set up around the (concert hall) led to the detention of a bus with gas bottles. "It would be wrong at this moment to pile up these facts and conclude: thus there was a plan to attack with gas bottles, et cetera, because that was the picture last week in Barcelona. I would be careful with that. "Whether the bus with gas bottles can be linked to the threat, that cannot now be established." The driver of the van is Spanish, according to El Pais, and caught the attention of nearby police officers after repeatedly going to and from the venue. The news comes just days after a van was driven into pedestrians on Barcelona's La Rambla, one of the city's top tourist hotspots. The horrific attack left 14 people dead and more than 130 injured in one of the worst atrocities ever seen in Spain.

Dutch TERROR: Rock concert evacuated Wed, August 23, 2017 A ROCK concert by US band Allah Las has been cancelled and the venue evacuated amid concerns over a terror threat after police discovered a bus filled with gas bottles nearby. Play slideshow Twitter 1 of 10 Maassilo is evacuated because of a terrorist threat

EPA The van, a white Renault Kangoo, is now being investigated by authorities

Hours later, five men believed to be members of the same terrorist cell drove into pedestrians in Cambrils, a small town around 40 miles outside Barcelona. One woman was killed and six others injured before police shot all the terrorists involved. It is unknown whether there are any links between the incident in Rotterdam and last week's attacks in Spain, although a source told Reuters that there is no connection. After the warning from Spanish authorities, Rotterdam police debated allowing the concert to go ahead with additional security - but it was eventually cancelled as a precautionary measure.

TWITTER Police in bulletproof vests pictured at the scene

The Maassilo is an exhibition venue located in central Rotterdam, with capacity for 1,000 people. The venue was evacuated before the concert was due to start and images on social media show a number of concertgoers stood around outside while officers in bulletproof vests patrol the area. The National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism's office said the threat level in the Netherlands was unchanged at "substantial", where it has been since 2013. Allah-Las are a US rock band from Los Angeles, California, currently on a European tour. The band claim they chose to use Allah - Arabic for god - because they wanted something that sounded "holy".

TWITTER The van which is believed to have contained the gas bottles

AFP Police stand behind a cordon during the evacuation the Maassilo concert venue

However, they revealed last year that they have had complaints about their name from across the world, with some people offended by their moniker. Lead singer Miles Michaud told the Guardian: “We get emails from Muslims, here in the US and around the world, saying they’re offended, but that absolutely wasn’t our intention. “We email back and explain why we chose the name and mainly they understand.” After their Rotterdam gig was cancelled, the band said in a statement: “In response to the police, we are forced to cancel the concert of Allah-Las tonight in the Maassilo. “It does not make sense to come to the Maassilo.

EPA Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb speaks to reporters after the concert was cancelled

GETTY The Allah-Las, pictured here at Coachella this year, have apologised to fans