Man arrested after taking a woman hostage in London

Woman reportedly held at knifepoint in Leicester Square restaurant during two-hour stand-off with police

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(Image credit: James Robinson/Twitter)

Police have arrested a man after a woman was taken hostage at an Italian restaurant in the heart of London's West End.

Officers surrounded the Bella Italia in Leicester Square last night following reports of an incident at 8.50. Part of the area was cordoned off and people in nearby eateries were told to stay indoors.

Musician Jordan Brown, who had been performing at the neighbouring Caffe Concerto, told the London Evening Standard they had been instructed not to leave the premises.

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"We were playing a gig and the police came around and said please stop singing," he said. "We thought we were being too loud, but turns out there's a hostage situation."

The Metropolitan Police confirmed that the incident was resolved shortly before 11pm, with no reported injuries.

"Officers at the scene said the man had been found with a knife in his pocket and had been arrested," Sky News reports.

A police spokesperson said the incident was not terror-related.

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