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French officials confirm two dead in Trèbes supermarket hostage situation Gunman shot dead by French police after two killed in Trèbes supermarket hostage situation
(35 minutes later)
French officials have confirmed at least two people have died and one more is seriously injured in an ongoing hostage-taking at a supermarket in the town of Trèbes, near Carcassonne in southern France. Police have shot dead a gunman who killed two people and injured three others in a hostage-taking at a supermarket in the town of Trèbes, near Carcassonne in southern France.
A major police security operation is under way in the town, after an individual earlier attempted to run down four police officers on their morning run near Carcassonne and then opened fire, injuring one officer in the shoulder. Police union official Yves Lefebvre says suspect in hostage-taking situation has been shot to death by police.
The same individual, reported by local officials to have sworn allegiance to Islamic State, reportedly then drove to the supermarket in Trèbes and took up to eight people hostage. The armed man entered the busy supermarket at about 11am local time. A major counter-terrorism police operation took place in the town after the armed man earlier attempted to run down four police officers on their morning run near Carcassonne and then opened fire, injuring one officer in the shoulder.
The same individual, who local officials said had sworn allegiance to Islamic State, reportedly then drove to the supermarket in Trèbes, entered the store and took eight people hostage. The armed man entered the busy supermarket at about 11am local time.
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, speaking at the EU summit in Brussels, said that everything suggested the incident was “terrorist” in nature and he would return to Paris to coordinate the response.
The hostage-taking in #Trèbes supermarket is the first major suspected terrorist incident since Macron lifted France’s two-year state of emergency last autumn and toughened anti-terror laws.
The state of emergency was declared by the former Socialist president François Hollande on the night of the Paris attacks of November 2015, in which 130 people were killed, and was ended by Macron in October.
Anti-terrorism prosecutors have taken over the investigation and the French prime minister, Édouard Philippe, told French media “all the evidence so far suggests these are terrorist attacks”.Anti-terrorism prosecutors have taken over the investigation and the French prime minister, Édouard Philippe, told French media “all the evidence so far suggests these are terrorist attacks”.
France’s interior ministry said two people had been killed in the ongoing hostage situation, and one person was seriously injured. Three others have been wounded, it said. Police have surrounded the branch of Super U and authorities have warned people to avoid the area. BFM TV reported that the hostage-taker had asked for the release of Salah Abdeslam, the only surviving suspect from the jihadi group that carried out the November 2015 Paris attacks. Abdeslam is in solitary confinement in a French high security prison as the investigation into the Paris attacks continues.
The mayor of Trèbes, Eric Ménassi, told LCI TV that the man had entered the shop screaming “Allahu Akbar, I’ll kill you all”. The hostage-taker was now alone with one police officer in the supermarket and all other hostages had been freed, he added. Le Monde reported that the hostage-takers’ car found at the supermarket carpark belonged to a Moroccan national known to the security services.
. The mayor of Trèbes, Eric Ménassi, told LCI TV the man had entered the shop screaming “Allahu Akbar, I’ll kill you all”. The hostage-taker was now alone with one police officer in the supermarket and all other hostages had been freed, he added.
The interior minister, Gérard Collomb, was heading for the scene after talking with the president, Emmanuel Macron, who is following the situation closely, according to a security official. However, the head of the local gendarmerie, Jean-Valéry Lettermann, said the situation was “not yet stabilised”, adding that “unfortunately, we expect to discover more victims”.
The head of the local gendarmerie, Jean-Valéry Lettermann, said the situation was “not yet stabilised”, adding that “unfortunately, we expect to discover more victims”. France’s interior ministry said two people had been killed in the hostage situation, with three people injured, one seriously. Police have surrounded the branch of Super U and authorities have warned people to avoid the area.
The interior minister, Gérard Collomb, was heading to the scene on Friday after talking with Macron, who was following the situation closely, according to a security official.
French police have undertaken training on hostage-taking situations in supermarkets in recent years. In January 2015, after the Paris terror attack on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, a gunman, Amédy Coulibaly, held hostages at a kosher supermarket in eastern Paris, killing four people before police shot him dead.
More details soon …More details soon …
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