France seize: Man holed up in museum, cops surround building, motive unclear

Paris, Oct 23: The police in the town of Saint-Raphael, France, have surrounded the archaeology museum where a man has reportedly been 'holed up' and his intentions seem malicious. An AFP report said that 'threatening messages in Arabic' were spotted on the walls.

Although it is unclear if the man has weapons or accomplices, reports quoting sources say that one of the messages reads: "the museum is going to become a hell".

Police warned the residents of the town and asked them to stay away from the museum and the surrounding area. The motive of the man is not clear yet.

The man is said to break into the museum building overnight as when the staff arrived, they were unable to enter the building.

Earlier this month, four people were killed after a man armed with a knife attacked officers inside Paris police headquarters.

Since 2015, France has been repeatedly targeted by a succession of attacks blamed on jihadists which have seen both large synchronised assaults and also isolated knife attacks, claiming some 245 victims.