WASHINGTON - An armed man was taken into custody Tuesday night at Orlando International Airport in the US southeastern state of Florida, authorities said.

"Gunman in custody," Orlando Police tweeted at 10:08 pm (1508 GMT). "Everyone is safe."

The airport was closed hours earlier after reports of a man with a weapon found in a rental car area.

"There is a guy out there with a gun. Take cover. He has a huge gun," local media quoted a witness as saying.

"There is no active shooter. No shots fired. Suspect is contained. Will post updates as we receive them," Orlando Police tweeted 40 minutes later.

At 09:27 pm (1427 GMT), Orlando Police tweeted that a crisis negotiator was speaking with the gunman. Travelers posted photos and videos to social media that showed the police presence at the airport.

There was minimal impact to airport operations, the airport wrote on Twitter.