At least one man is holed up in an archaeological museum in Saint-Raphael, according to a tweet posted by the National Police. France Bleu reported, referring to a source close to the police that "worrisome" inscriptions in Arabic have been found on the scene, evoking "the museum and hell".
BFMTV, meanwhile, has reported that one of the messages on the walls of Saint Raphael’s archaeological museum allegedly says "the museum will become hell".
French police reportedly said they've detained the man who was holed up in the museum.
According to France Bleu, it could've been a cleaning lady who sounded the alarm after she could not open a door that was blocked from the inside.
A security perimeter of the area has been set up by police, hindering traffic in the area.
"Police operation at Rue de la Vieille Eglise in St Raphael. Difficult traffic conditions. Avoid the area", the Var police department said on Twitter.
#Intervention de police rue de la vieille église à St Raphaël.
— Police Nationale 83 (@PoliceNat83) October 23, 2019
Circulation difficile. Evitez le secteur.
Merci de ne pas gêner le travail des policiers et ne relayez pas de fausses informations. pic.twitter.com/Q24YjQhRkY
French media outlets have reported that it is unclear if the man is armed or if there are any hostages.
Local authorities in southern France have reportedly stated that elite "RAID" police were carrying out an operation at the museum.
#Var
— ĠḧöṡẗÖḟḞṛäṅċë (@france_ghost) October 23, 2019
Opération du #RAID en cours, au - un homme retranché. "Classé monument historique le Musée Archéologique situé rue de la Vieille église, au cœur du vieux #SaintRaphaël, constitue un espace de 800 m2 d'expo avec l'église romane attenante"⬇️@Var_Matinhttps://t.co/ReShtm5aao pic.twitter.com/MrRxApHy31
