Military police are responding to a security situation at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport

Reuters

FILE PHOTO: A view of Schiphol International Airport in Amsterdam

• Dutch police were responding to a "suspicious situation" at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport Wednesday evening.
• Air Europa, a Spanish airline, tweeted that a distress signal had been "activated by mistake," indicating a hijacking attempt. The airline said that it was a false alarm.
• This is a developing story. Refresh this page for updates.
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Dutch police said they were investigating a security incident on board a plane at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport in Holland.

The incident happened just before 7:00 p.m. local time, according to Matt Hallmann, a passenger transiting through Schiphol. Photos posted to social media showed the airports D-concourse blocked off by police.

A customer service agent at Schiphol, reached by phone, told Business Insider that the Royal Marechaussee, or the Dutch military police, were responding and referred questions to the government. A spokesperson for the Marechaussee did not immediately respond. The agency tweeted that it was investigating a "suspicious situation" on board.

Air Europa, a Spanish airline, tweeted that a distress signal on a plane scheduled to fly to Madrid was "activated by mistake," falsly suggesting that there was a hijacking attempt on board. Dutch police said at about 8:45 p.m. local time that passengers and crew had safely left the plane.

Schiphol is the third busiest airport in Europe, following London Heathrow and Paris Charles de Gaulle.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.