On Wednesday French police succeeded in detaining a man who was holed up and shouting threats for around four hours in an archaeological museum in the coastal city of Saint-Raphaël, along the French Riviera. 

On the walls of the museum, several messages had been written in Arabic. One allegedly read, "the museum is going to become a hell." Authorities refrained from confirming the translation. 

The police say the man broke into the museum early Wednesday morning. Authorities say he was not armed and that he did not resist arrest. His motivations and identity are as of yet unclear. 

Read more: Is France's deradicalization strategy missing the point?

Police called to the scene included France's elite RAID unit and a bomb disposal squad. 

The historic center of the small vacation town was put on lockdown during the incident.  

The archaeological museum is home to a medieval stone church and other Roman items recovered in the area.

kp/rt (AP, AFP) 

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