Armed man holed up in hotel in southern France: Police

An armed man was holed up in a hotel in the southern French town of Bollene on Tuesday afternoon, a spokeswoman for the local police prefecture said.

The man who was holed up for more than 12 hours in a hotel room in the southern French town of Bollene on Tuesday was arrested in the evening, a spokeswoman for the local police said.

France has been on high alert for security threats ever since gunmen and suicide bombers killed 130 people in a series of attacks last November claimed by Islamic State. (AP File Photo)

The man had shut himself up in a low-budget hotel with a suspected bomb and knife after a spat with the manager, police said. His motives were not known.

The hotel in Bollene, about 130 kilometres north of Marseille, was cordoned off and the nearby the A7 motorway closed down for several hours.

France has been on high alert for security threats ever since gunmen and suicide bombers killed 130 people in a series of attacks last November claimed by Islamic State.