At around 2:15 p.m. local time (6:15 a.m. Belgian time), an individual “took hostages and barricaded themselves in a post office” in the city of Warabi, local authorities said on their website. According to the statement, the person in question was in possession of an object that resembled a firearm.
The incidents occurred while police were investigating one or more gunshots heard in the same area earlier in the day. Two people were injured in that incident but the cause of their injuries is unknown. The man currently holed up in the post office opened fire in the hospital earlier today.
Television footage showed the suspected hostage taker entering the post office, wearing a dark coat and cap and appearing to have a firearm in his hand.
It is reported that there are almost 10 employees in the post office and the suspect may have taken kerosene. A reporter on site has also heard several shots from the post office. Police asked 300 residents in the area to evacuate their homes, television channel TBS reported.