A French mayor fled for his life during the nationwide coronavirus lockdown after a disgruntled citizen forced him to strip naked at gunpoint in his own home.

The bizarre confrontation started as a seemingly ordinary meeting between Pascal Houbron, the 53-year-old mayor of the town of Bihorel in France's northern Normandy region, and one of the local residents on Tuesday morning.

The official was conducting work meetings at home because the town hall is closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

During the meeting, the attacker pulled out a firearm – which later turned out to be an airsoft pistol – to threaten Houbron. "He was pointing a gun at me, preventing me from leaving my house… He forced me to undress before taking my picture," the mayor told France Bleu radio.

Despite the attacker being armed, the mayor eventually managed to escape by sprinting out of his home in his birthday suit and running down the street.

I ran naked, shouting for help, to a neighbor who hid me in his garage.

The suspect, meanwhile, surrendered to police and was taken into custody. An investigation has been launched into the incident.

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Houbron told local media that the attacker was a disgruntled resident in his late 50s, whom he has known for 15 years. "He had proposed an urban planning project, which was not carried out due to strong opposition from [other] citizens," the official explained, adding that the suspect had initially arrived at his home to discuss a new project.

As for the naked photograph, Houbron suggested that the man wanted to post it on social media. The mayor said the incident had left him "shocked."

"I have received death threats, but it is not the same as having a weapon pointed at you," Houbron said of his ordeal. "I wasn't elected for that! I was kind enough to receive a citizen at my house, and look at what has happened."

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