Police negotiators are trying to launch a dialogue with the Charlie Hebdo shooting suspects believed to be holed up in an industrial building north of Paris, French Interior Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet says.

“The priority is to resolve this crisis in the most serene way possible, which means without violence,” Brandet says in televised comments. “We are trying to talk, to establish contact … The priority is to establish a dialogue.”

This could take time, he says, while also warning that police are preparing for “all possible scenarios,” including storming the building if “conditions deteriorate.”

He declined to comment if the suspects are holding anyone, saying there would be no official confirmation until there is certainty on whether hostages are involved. SAPA