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September 17, 2003 Updated 6:28 pm

Dyersburg, TN - New developments in the hostage situation on the campus at Dyersburg State Community College. A Dyersburg police officer tells News Channel 3 the hostage taker claims to be a member of Al Qaeda and says he is on a suicide mission. Officials have turned that information over to the FBI, but any ties to Al Qaeda have not been confirmed.

The hostage taker is identified as 26-year-old Harold Kilpatrick, Jr. of Memphis. He left a suicide note with his sister who lives in Dyersburg before taking the classroom hostage. In the note he says he hates America.

Dyersburg police say Kilpatrick is holding 12 to 16 people in a college classroom and is refusing to negotiate with officers. City police spokeswoman Lisa McDowell says Kilpatrick released four people a couple of hours after the incident began around one p-m, Central time.

Officials at the scene say Kilpatrick is armed with a gun and a knife. He allegedly took 16 people hostage in a classroom and has released 4 of the hostages. The classroom is located on the second floor of the Eller building. Bob Jones with the DSCC Learning and Resource Center says the hostage situation took place in a basic math class. Jones says the teacher, who is female, is among the hostages. Jones says no one has heard shots fired.

A student at the college tells News Channel 3 that she overheard teachers telling police that Kilpatrick was upset and was throwing chairs before he pulled out a gun and barricaded himself and the students and teacher in the classroom.

The SWAT team and a hostage negotiating team is on the scene, but there have been no injuries or violence reported. Students and teachers have been evacuated from all the buildings on campus and classes have been cancelled for Wednesday evening.

Dyersburg State Community College is a small college of about 2000 students located in Dyersburg about 75 miles north of Memphis. Stay with News Channel 3 online and on the air for the very latest.