Berlin police on Wednesday said they had received an emergency alert about a man carrying a weapon-like object seen in a school classroom in the German capital.

Police said they could not confirm whether there was such a man. A person who picked up the phone at the school office when contacted by Reuters referred inquiries to the police.

Local media outlet rbb24 reported that the man in question may have also stowed bags in the school for reasons that were not immediately clear.

The students and the school staff were asked via loudspeaker announcements to stay in the classrooms, rbb24 said, adding that emergency services were now searching the building. (Reporting by Nette Noestlinger; Writing by Matthias Williams; Editing by Friederike Heine and Madeline Chambers)