A man burst into the Reuters bureau in Beijing this morning and took several people hostage, claiming he had a bomb.
However, it was subsequently learned that the man did not, in fact, have an explosive device, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
The man said he had a bomb in a bag slung around his neck and held a cable with a red button on the end throughout the two hours he held journalists, saying he wanted his grievances against officials publicised around the world.
Xinhua quoted police sources as saying the bomb threat was a hoax.