Australian police stormed a law firm where a man claiming to have a bomb was holed up with a young girl yesterday, ending a stand-off which had forced parts of a Sydney business district to be evacuated.

Authorities had tried for hours to convince the middle-aged man to give himself up as roads in the Parramatta area of western Sydney were shut and workers cleared from the scene, which is near the city’s Family Court precinct.

But after 11 hours, police were unable to resolve the matter peacefully and raided the office and arrested a 52-year-old man, Assistant Commissioner Denis Clifford told Macquarie Radio.

“Towards the latter part of the time we’ve been here those negotiations have started to break down and then deteriorate to a stage where police have taken action to break into the premises and take a 52-year-old man into custody,” AC Clifford told reporters

“He’s currently assisting police with their ongoing inquiries.”

AC Clifford said the girl was distressed but otherwise unharmed and now being cared for by family.

The man had entered the legal offices just before 9 a.m. with a 12-year-old girl and demanded to see a person who was unknown to staff, a clerk told reporters. He claimed to have a bomb in his backpack.

Police had been treating the bomb claims seriously.

Television footage had showed a shirtless, middle-aged man wearing a lawyer’s wig looking out of an office window.

He later smashed a hole through one of the glass panels and reportedly dropped down a handwritten note.