The Huffington Post UK building has been evacuated after a man reportedly wearing a gas canister threatened to blow himself up in the adjoining building.
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Tottenham Court Road has been cordoned off. Armed police are attending the scene and police have sent a hostage negotiator, however police say it is unclear if there are any hostages with the man, reported to be 50-year-old Michael Green.
Police did not confirm or deny there were any snipers at the scene, saying: "It's not a matter than we ever discuss but we always deploy appropriate police resources to any incident."
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People near the scene have reported shots being fired and that computers and equipment has been thrown out of the windows of the office block.
According to Abby Baafi, 27, the head of training and operations at Advantage, a company which offers HGV courses, 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."
Reports from the scene suggest buildings as far as two streets away have been evacuated, including UCH's Macmillan Cancer Centre.
Sarah O'Meara, who works for the Huffington Post, said they evacuated their offices in nearby Capper Street after being alerted by a woman who ran into the building.
"A woman ran in off the street saying 'There is a guy with a bomb and he is threatening to blow himself up' and that we needed to evacuate," she said.
"Everyone got out.
"The police have been moving people back street by street. It is now at Grafton Way."
TVs being thrown outside the window of the offices
Masked police personnel leave Tottenham Court Road in central London on April 27, 2012, after a man was arrested after causing a disturbance in an office building in central London. Police arrested a man who witnesses said had threatened to blow himself up in an office building in central London, forcing a busy shopping street to be sealed off in a three-hour standoff on Friday. AFP PHOTO / MIGUEL MEDINA (Photo credit should read MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP/GettyImages) (credit:Getty)
Armed Police Tackle Hostage Situation In Central London(02 of07)
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LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 27: An armed police officer in Tottenham Court Road prepares himself during a suspected hostage situation on April 27, 2012 in London, England. The busy shopping street in central London was evacuated after a 50-year-old man, named as Michael Green, arrived in the offices of Advantage HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) 'strapped up with gasoline cylinders, and threatened to blow up the office'. According to reports the man, who began to throw computers and other office equipment from the office window, failed a HGV training course and demanded his money back. The siege ended following the arrest of the man and no harm to any hostages. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
Members of the public gather on Tottenha(03 of07)
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Members of the public gather on Tottenham Court Road in central London on April 27, 2012, as police seal off the street amid reports of an armed man causing a disturbance. At least a dozen emergency vehicles with lights flashing could be seen blocking off Tottenham Court Road in London, AFP reporters said. AFP PHOTO / DANIEL SORABJI (Photo credit should read MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP/GettyImages) (credit:Getty)
Armed Police Tackle Hostage Situation In Central London(04 of07)
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LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 27: Armed police officer on the scene where a man threaten to blow himself up in an office building on Tottenham Court Road on April 27, 2012 in London, England. The busy shopping street in central London was evacuated after a 50-year-old man, named as Michael Green, arrived in the offices of Advantage HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) 'strapped up with gasoline cylinders, and threatened to blow up the office'. According to reports the man, who began to throw computers and other office equipment from the office window, failed a HGV training course and demanded his money back. The siege ended following the arrest of the man and no harm to any hostages. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
Armed Police Tackle Hostage Situation In Central London(05 of07)
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LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 27: A man throws a computer monitor from an upper floor window during a hostage situation on Tottenham Court Road on April 27, 2012 in London, England. The busy shopping street in central London was evacuated after a 50-year-old man, named as Michael Green, arrived in the offices of Advantage HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) 'strapped up with gasoline cylinders, and threatened to blow up the office'. According to reports the man, who began to throw computers and other office equipment from the office window, failed a HGV training course and demanded his money back. The siege ended following the arrest of the man and no harm to any hostages. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
Armed Police Tackle Hostage Situation In Central London(06 of07)
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LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 27: Armed police officers on the scene where a man threaten to blow himself up in an office building on Tottenham Court Road on April 27, 2012 in London, England. The busy shopping street in central London was evacuated after a 50-year-old man, named as Michael Green, arrived in the offices of Advantage HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) 'strapped up with gasoline cylinders, and threatened to blow up the office'. According to reports the man, who began to throw computers and other office equipment from the office window, failed a HGV training course and demanded his money back. The siege ended following the arrest of the man and no harm to any hostages. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
Armed Police Tackle Hostage Situation In Central London(07 of07)
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LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 27: Armed police officers on the scene where a man threaten to blow himself up in an office building on Tottenham Court Road on April 27, 2012 in London, England. The busy shopping street in central London has been evacuated after an unidentified 49-year-old man arrived in the offices of Advantage HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) 'strapped up with gasoline cylinders, and threatened to blow up the office'. According to reports the man, who began to throw computers and other office equipment from the office window, failed a HGV training course and demanded his money back. The siege has recently ended following the arrest of the man. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)