By Hajer M'tiri
PARIS (AA) - A major police operation is underway in central Paris after a man claiming to be armed with a bomb was holding at least three people hostage, according to the police.
"Don't spread false rumors. Intervention of the Prefecture Police in progress at Paris [arrondissement] 10 amid a hostage situation," tweeted the Paris Police Prefecture.
The suspect requested that the Iranian Embassy and French government be contacted, reported Le Parisien daily website.
Videos and images from the scene posted on social media show police officers outside a building in central Paris' Rue des Petites Ecuries.
The motives of the man remain unknown, but police are saying that the situation does not appear to be terrorism related.
The area has been sealed off, and the story is developing.