A major police operation began in Vuelta host city Nimes. It has concluded with one arrest and the police denying reports that any shots were fired.

Police arrest man after alert in Vuelta host city Nimes

Police in Nimes, where the Vuelta is currently starting, have carried out the arrest of a man and then stood down a major security operation tonight.

The local police received reports of suspicious activity in the train station and rushed to the scene.

Nimes station was evacuated as part of the security operation. The area around it was closed. And police also urged people to stay away from the area.

Conflicting reports suggested there were as many as three armed men being sought by the police. They were also reports shots had been fired.

However, the local police have confirmed no shots were discharged. They also confirmed they were investigating reports about one suspect only.

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#Nimes: quartier de la gare bouclé, Une personne munie d'un pistolet d'alarme a été arrêtée. pic.twitter.com/YD3HB9t3Ja

— ?✨CESTMOI✨ن ? (@_Math_D69) August 19, 2017

Armed police officers boarded a train on a platform as part of the security response and one man was arrested.

Reports to the police from members of the public suggested the man was armed. But it appears the ‘gun’ he was carrying was fake or a starting pistol.

The area has been declared safe and has opened again. La Vuelta got underway in the city, in southern France, earlier on Saturday.

The team time trial stage 1 was completed several hours by the time the security operation began in Nimes.

Vuelta journalists told to stay put in Nimes

Journalists in the Vuelta press centre were informed of the operation. They were told to stay at the press centre until further notice.

There was already a major security operation underway at the race start.

The Vuelta has taken over Nimes in recent days. A heavy police presence was visible for the starting ceremony and during today’s stage.

The security risk is high after the events in Barcelona on Thursday and later on the south coast at Cambrils.

As a result, there is likely to be a major police presence at the Vuelta for the next three weeks.