Dutch police have arrested a second suspect in connection to an alleged threat which led to the cancellation of a concert, according to reports.

The concert, by Los Angeles band Allah-Las in the port city of Rotterdam, was called off on Wednesday night after Spanish authorities apparently tipped off Dutch police about a possible threat.

A Spanish man was arrested on Wednesday night driving a van containing gas canisters close to the Maassilo venue in the city.

The second arrest, on Thursday morning, took place in the south of the Netherlands, according to a public broadcaster.

Ahmed Aboutaleb, mayor of Rotterdam, told a news conference: "In the early evening I was warned by telephone that we had received a threat which had implications for an American concert at the Maasilo in Rotterdam.


"This signal came from the Spanish police to the Dutch police.

"We cannot say now if the van with the canisters was linked to the threat."

Image: The van, registered in Spain, was found to contain gas canisters

Police are still questioning the van driver. Spanish authorities said that van is not connected to the vehicle attacks that killed 15 people in Barcelona and Cambrils last week.

A counterterrorism official said Spain's Civil Guard received "an alert indicating the possibility of an attack in a concert that was going to take place in Rotterdam".

The four-piece US band was escorted from the venue by police wearing bullet-proof vests.

In a statement, they said they were "unharmed and are very grateful to the Rotterdam police and other responsible agencies for detecting the potential threat before anyone was hurt".

The Maassilo venue was searched by Dutch anti-terror police officers after the crowd had been evacuated.

A spokesman for the Dutch justice ministry said the terror threat level in the Netherlands remains at four, out of a possible five.