WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 (Xinhuanet) -- A lawyer was held hostage in the southeastern U.S. state of Georgia on Monday and local authorities were negotiating for his release, local media reported.

    The attorney was held hostage by a couple claiming to have a bomb in his office in Statesboro, Georgia, and the incident prompted city officials to cancel a planned parade to mark the Martin Luther King Day.

    "The individuals have indicated that they are very upset with some legal issues from the recent past and want to get those issues resolved," City Manager George Wood said in a written statement.

    The nature of the legal issues in question was unclear.

    Hostage negotiators were in contact with the couple, who indicated they had an improvised explosive device, Wood said.

    The couple took over the lawyer's office about 9:15 a.m. local time and let two people leave shortly afterward, news reports said. Police cordoned off the area around the office.

    Statesboro, a city of 22,000, was about 362 km southeast of Atlanta, the state capital. Enditem