PARIS -- Police swarmed a building in Paris on Tuesday, saying a man had taken two people hostage. A Paris police official told CBS News there was no immediate indication of a link to terrorism, however members of the force's elite serious crime unit, known as the BRI, were on the scene.

More than a dozen heavily-armed police officers, firefighters and rescue workers were stationed outside the building where the hostages were being held, located in a crowded neighborhood in the center of the French capital.

The area was evacuated and the street, rue des Petites Ecuries, was cordoned off.

The police said they could not confirm whether the man was armed, or describe the nature of his demands. They declined to confirm French media reports that the hostage-taker wanted to hand a letter to the Iranian ambassador, or reports that he was holding three people and that one had been injured.

Negotiations with the suspect were taking place, according to an Interior Ministry official who couldn't be identified because the operation was in progress.

Police initially said the hostage scene was unfolding in an office in the building, but soon stopped communicating details to journalists.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.