Armed man holds 25 children hostage
A man armed with a knife was holding 25 children hostage at a school near Barcelona tonight.
Police were negotiating with the assailant at the school in Hospitalet de Llobregat, a town hall official said.
The Interior Ministry office in Barcelona said the children were aged 12.
It said the motive appeared to be money but it could not confirm reports that the man is demanding €1m.
A ministry spokesman said the area around the school had been cordoned off.
The rest of the school has been evacuated, town hall said.
Ambulance crews were in the area to help parents in distress.
Hospitalet de Llobregat is an industrial town just south of Barcelona.
