A gunman who held a woman hostage in an American Express building in central London has been arrested.
He has been taken to a West London police station.
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Armed police gather outside the scene of the siege in London Photograph: Reuters
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A woman hostage was earlier released from the building in Haymarket.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "At 3.15 pm the gunman left the building. He has been arrested for armed robbery."
The man was led away by armed police officers wearing riot equipment. The police cordon remains.
The woman was held by a gunman who was believed to have been trying to carry out an armed robbery.
A large area in the centre of the capital was brought to a standstill as armed police, police dogs, hostage negotiators and a helicopter moved in.
The man went into the building just after 10 am armed with a handgun and a member of staff triggered a panic alarm.
He grabbed a female employee as a hostage and they remained the only people in the building after everyone else was evacuated.
PA