Machine gun and heavy weapons fire has erupted near the presidential palace in Niger's capital Niamey, sparking rumors of a coup attempt.
President Mamadou Tandja and his cabinet are being held by soldiers after gun battles in the capital, a government source told the BBC.
An unnamed French official told AFP that a coup attempt was under way.
"All I can say is that it would appear that Tandja is not in a good position," the French official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP.
Soldiers captured Tandja while he was chairing his weekly cabinet meeting, the Nigerien government source said.
Witnesses said that the sound of fighting was coming from the direction of the presidential palace and government ministries.
An intelligence officer has said that the shooting was part of a coup attempt the presidential guard was trying to contain.
Some media reports say at least three soldiers were killed as presidential guards tried to put down the coup attempt.
Tension has risen over the past few months, ever since a referendum was passed allowing President Mamadou Tandja to extend his rule for years past the constitutional limit.
His second term expired in December.
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