A hostage situation has broken out in the town of Issy-les-Moulineaux in France. The owner of a restaurant in the town bordering Paris is “hiding” in his establishment where he is “detaining several employees”, the Paris fire department (BSPP) told AFP.

A large police squad surrounded the restaurant, located on Rue Ernest-Renan, a few dozen meters from the Paris ring road. Numerous police cars and armed law enforcement officers in helmets began blocking the street and setting up a security perimeter in the area.

The street is closed to traffic, indicates the mayor's office, which urges people to “avoid the area.”