Police arrest Paris hostage taker

French police have arrested a man who took two people hostage in an office in central Paris, Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said on Tuesday.

The arrest came after a major police operation with dozens of police officers converging around the building in the 10th arrondissement (district) in the northern-central part of the French capital.

"The individual has been arrested and the hostages are out of danger," Collomb said on Twitter.

The police said there was no indication of terrorist motives.

Earlier, local media reported that the hostage taker had asked to communicate with the Iranian embassy so that they could convey a message to the French government.

The attacker, who appeared to be brandishing a fake weapon, had doused his hostages in petrol, Reuters news agency reported, citing a police source.

There were no immediate details on the age, appearance or nationality of the man.

"His demands were really vague and incoherent," said an interior ministry official. "The negotiator had difficulty understanding."

ap/msh (AP, dpa, Reuters)

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.