The shocking true story behind Netflix's iHostage explained (2025)

While most real-life events deemed worthy of a Netflix adaptation tend to take place in the distant past, director Bobby Boermans and scriptwriter Simon de Waal have teamed up to retell the story of a hostage crisis that occurred far more recently in Amsterdam with new thriller iHostage.

The thriller sees a Dutch national named Ammar Ajar enter an Amsterdam Apple store and demand a ransom of $200 million (in cryptocurrency), along with safe passage out of the city. A Bulgarian visitor becomes his primary hostage as police and Apple store employees work hard to keep everyone safe.

Boermans recently told Time of his own personal connection to the real-life situation that inspired iHostage and how he lives near to the Apple store in question:

"Fortunately, hostage situations like this are scarce in the Netherlands. That's what made this incident bizarre. A man, demanding 200 million in cryptocurrency, chose to take a hostage in broad daylight on one of the busiest squares in Amsterdam."

In a separate interview with TUDUM, Boermans expanded on this further, explaining how he used personal connections to find out more about what went on that fateful day:

"[Writer de Waal and I] both wondered what had really happened inside the store. And because Simon also works as a detective with the police in Amsterdam, he had access to a lot of people and information."

"We started investigating," Boermans continued, "And that's when we discovered… how the police had maintained contact with the people hiding in the closet, how Apple got involved when the lights were about to automatically turn off, what impact the events had on the police officers, and so on."

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at the true story behind Netflix's iHostage.

Netflix's iHostage true story explained

Moving forward, it's important to note that Boermans has changed the names of everyone involved to preserve their privacy.

On 22 February 2022, 27-year-old Abdel Rahman Akkad used a supermarket delivery truck to visit an Apple Store in Amsterdam's Leidseplein square. He wore camouflage and claimed to be wearing a bomb vest set to explode, although that was later disproven by the police. Akkad was carrying two firearms, however.

Around 5.30pm, Akkad entered the store in question and took a 44-year-old Bulgarian man hostage. Other customers tried to hide, including people on upper floors above the Apple Store who were now trapped as well by what was happening below. Unknown to Akkad, four people were hiding in a closet throughout this ordeal, just like in Boermans's movie adaptation.

Ten minutes into the incident, police arrived and were met with at least four shots of gunfire. The area was quickly locked down and workers from nearby shops were evacuated in fear that explosive materials might be in play.

As the hours went by, police were able to rescue around 70 people from the building. Meanwhile, Akkad took a selfie with his Bulgarian hostage and sent it to AT5, a local news station, while he waited for the ransom money and an escort out of Amsterdam.

Yes, that selfie really did happen, just like in the movie as well.

Five hours in, after what must have felt like endless negotiations, Akkad asked the police for water. They used a robot to deliver it to the hostage at the store entrance. Seizing his chance to escape, the Bulgarian man ran outside, but the gunman quickly followed.

While in pursuit of his hostage, Akkad was hit by a special police unit vehicle who knocked him unconscious and brought an end to this five-hour ordeal. Photos and videos of him lying outside the story went viral on social media. Reports later revealed that Akkad was wearing an explosive device, but it wasn't rigged to go off.

Speaking to The Guardian about what happened, police chief Frank Paauw explained: "A car from the special forces reacted very adequately and alertly. The hostage has played a hero role. In a few split seconds he escaped this hostage situation, otherwise it would have been an even longer night and nasty night."

Akkad had been investigated by the police for possessions of weapons before. That's not all, though. He'd also been previously sentenced to 60 hours of community service plus a month of probation and a three-year restraining order after assaulting his ex-girlfriend.

Akkad eventually succumbed to injuries sustained from the police car hitting him and died in hospital. No other injuries were reported from the incident.

Ransom aside, "The hostage taker's motive was never made clear," as iHostage states in a title card at the end.

The Bulgarian hostage, known as Ilian in the movie, was subsequently treated as a hero by local media, although he asked for his name to be withheld in any coverage that followed.

In the years that have passed since, is there anything to learn from the tragic real-life events that iHostage was based on?

During his aforementioned interview with Time, Boermans shared his hope that "this film will spark an important dialogue about the increasing number of individuals with mental health issues living on the streets".

"Many well-meaning, everyday citizens are falling through the cracks," he continued, "often due to financial difficulties or mental health challenges, and are being overlooked by our public health services.

"These are individuals who might have received assistance before tragically resorting to such terrible actions. It's heartbreaking, and I hope that our governments will start dedicating more time, energy, and resources to improving our public health systems."

iHostage is now available to watch on Netflix.