Police in the ex-Soviet nation of Georgia said Tuesday that 12 people were being held hostage by a gunman in a bank in the city of Kutaisi.
Georgian media report that the man, who is yet to be identified, demanded $2 million, a helicopter to leave the country and a Russian flag. The gunman reportedly announced his demands in a video posted on one of the hostages' Facebook page.
It was not immediately clear whether anyone was injured in a standoff, which has already gone on for several hours at a branch of Bank of Georgia.
Georgian police have opened a probe on multiple charges, including terrorism, and said an effort to release hostages was underway.
Kutaisi is a city of 147,000, located 180 kilometers (110 miles) northeast of the Georgian capital, Tbilisi.