EON

San Jose – An armed man took several hostages Friday in the Russian Embassy in Costa Rica, authorities confirmed.

The attacker is reportedly holding several officials of the diplomatic mission in the building in a residential area in north- eastern San Jose. The police were said to have deployed several units to cordon off the area.

According to media reports, the attacker is a young man born in Kyrgyzstan who forced his way into the embassy along with a relative. The young man was apparently upset because diplomatic officials denied him a passport.