UPDATE:
Scotland Yard Statement:
Items were thrown from the window onto the street below.
We were concerned that he may have explosive materials or flammable liquids with him. Our immediate concern was for the safety of the people inside the building and for the general public in the vicinity.
Specialist Metropolitan Police negotiators were called to the scene, with colleagues from London Ambulance Service, London Fire Brigade, and specialist firearms officers.
During the course of the incident a number of people who were inside the building left peacefully.
After contact with our specialist police negotiators the man came out of the building, and was arrested at 15.00hrs. He is now in police custody.
We are currently searching the premises to ensure that they are safe, and will begin a process of returning the area to normality as soon as
possible.
We would like to thank the local community, the business community and yourselves [the news media] for their co-operation this afternoon."
Met Police arrested a 50-year-old man at Tottenham Court Road. Scotland Yard said: "We have made an arrest. A man has been arrested and a search of the buildings is underway. The cordon around the area will be removed in due course. There are no indications of hostages involved."
A man entered a logistics office allegedly strapped with 4 canisters threatening, eyewitnesses said today, at an office on London's Tottenham Court Road.
The area had been cordoned off and there was an alleged hostage situation. Armed police attended the scene and police had sent a hostage negotiator.
The street was littered with paper and computer equipment that had been thrown out of the windows of the office where the man had positioned himself. Tottenham Court Road station was closed and traffic was being diverted away from the scene.
The Met Police said the incident wasn't terrorism related but snipers were seen on the roof. A bomb squad was reportedly at the scene along with fire engines and police.
Scotland Yard earlier released a statement: "Officers are in attendance at an incident in Tottenham Court Road, where a 50-year-old man is causing a disturbance.
"Police were called at 11.59am on Friday 27 April to an office building on Tottenham Court Road. Items, including electrical equipment, have been thrown out of a fifth-floor window.
"A 300-metre cordon has been put in place and a negotiator is on scene. We would advise people to keep clear of the area due to congestion."
The statement added that no injuries had been reported and it was unclear if there were other people in the building.
Clarification: It was earlier reported that four people were taken hostage by man in HGV logistics office on Tottenham Court Road, with police explosive experts and negotiators attending scene. We are waiting for a police statement regarding this.
Earlier the Huffington Post interviewed Abby Baafi, 27, the head of training and operations at Advantage, a company which offers HGV courses, who said the man had targeted her offices and was currently holding four men hostage. She told The Huffington Post UK: "He just turned up, strapped up in gasoline, gasoline cylinders. Basically he threatened to blow up the offices. Says he doesn't care about his life, doesn't care about anything."
"He was specifically looking for me but I said 'My name's not Abby' and he let me go."
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