Man takes hostage in Mali consulate in Barcelona

A man from Mali was holding a woman hostage in the African country's consulate in Barcelona, police said Monday.

A spokeswoman from the Mossos d'Esquadra, the regional police force in Catalonia where the seaside city is located, told AFP they received an alert mid-afternoon "that a woman was being held against her will inside Mali's consulate in Barcelona."

Police officers are negotiating with him, the spokeswoman said.

Spanish media said the woman being held is the wife of the honorary consul, adding the man was requesting the necessary legal papers to be able to return to Mali, but the Mossos spokeswoman would not confirm these details.

It is unclear whether he is armed or not.

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