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Photo: The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

This photo taken by an unnamed prisoner with a cellphone purportedly shows Albanian convict Alket Rizaj, right, holding something in his right hand while standing with six hostages, both prison officers and prisoners, at Malandrino prison, in central Greece, on Saturday, March 16. (AP Photo)

Greek authorities say police are lobbing chemicals inside a central prison, trying to smoke out a convicted murderer who is holding five hostages.

Alket Rizaj, an Albanian who has escaped from prison twice already, has been locked in tense negotiations with police for nearly 18 hours. Authorities say he is demanding a getaway car.

Officials in Greece's justice ministry also said Sunday that Rizaj is holding five hostages at the central Malandrino prison, with another having either escaped or been released. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.

They also said Rizaj claims to have explosives, guns and a grenade.