Man threatens to cause explosion with gas cylinder in central Athens

Police in central Athens have closed off a section of Acharnon Street, where a man in a sixth-floor apartment has threatened to explode a gas cylinder or jump from a balcony.

It is understood that the man, believed to be a Syrian national, also has knives in his possession.

Firefighters, an ambulance crew and a special police negotiator are also at the scene.

Alarm in Acharnon - Andras threatens to cause an explosion with a gas cylinder-1

The nearby Ministry of Rural Development is being evacuated as a precautionary measure.