Thousands of Moluccans fought in the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army after the Dutch government promised that they would eventually get their own independent state, the Republic of South Maluku.

[6] According to Willem S., the self-proclaimed leader of the hijacking, "I came up with the idea of taking action at the beginning of January this year... after Wijster and Amsterdam, the whole world had not understood what we South Moluccans want.

[8] At around 9 am on 23 May,[9] one of the hijackers (later identified as Matheus T.[8]) pulled the emergency brake, bringing the train to a stop near De Punt and allowing the others to board.

[11][12] Members of the Bijzondere Bijstands Eenheid, Netherlands' special forces unit, quickly surrounded the train while a crisis team was set up in the Ministry of Justice headquarters.

[10] In the initial confusion, Indonesian sailors waiting at Vlaardingen Oost metro station were mistakenly assumed to be part of the plot and detained.

[13] The hijackers failed to carry out their threats once the deadline had passed, instead announcing another demand: fueled aircraft at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, with which they could fly to a country of their choice.

[21][22] The following day, as a sign of good faith, two pregnant women were let go on 5 June,[23][24][25] including Annie Brouwer-Korf [nl], the future mayor of Utrecht.

[26][27] On 9 June, during a second meeting with the hijackers,[28][29] Soumokil is suspected to have, without the knowledge or permission of the authorities, notified them that the People's Republic of Benin was willing to receive them.

[4] In order to confuse the hijackers and divert their attention, six Lockheed F-104G Starfighter jet fighter aircraft flew over the area at low altitude, while a team of demolition experts set off explosives.

[38] In November 2014, media reported that Justice Minister van Agt allegedly ordered military commanders to leave no hijackers alive.