An incident outside Amsterdam’s main railway station involving a car that hit pedestrians, leaving two people seriously injured, is not thought to have been an extremist attack. “There is no indication whatsoever that this is a terrorist attack,” police spokeswoman Marjolein Koek said.

Police said that the driver was parked in a place where he was not allowed to stop and drove off when approached by police, then ran into a wall. Some of the injured were hospitalised while others were treated at the scene. Police also said that the car was searched and that the driver was questioned.

The incident received immediate widespread attention after several extremist attacks in Europe over the past year involving vehicles, including one at London Bridge in London last week.

The first images from the Amsterdam incident area showed a major police presence around the railway station, with first aid responders treating one person. A black car was shown to be slightly damaged against a low retaining wall close to the station.