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French police surround Trèbes supermarket amid hostage reports French officials confirm one death in Trèbes supermarket hostage situation
(35 minutes later)
Security officials are carrying out a counter-terrorism operation at a supermarket inTrèbes, southern France, amid an ongoing hostage situation. French officials have confirmed at least one person has 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.
The UNSA police union said on Twitter that a police operation was under way in the town after an individual had earlier shot at four officers in the town of Carcassone, a 15-minute drive away from Trèbes, injuring one of them. Local media reported a major police security operation was 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.
Citing sources, Europe 1 radio said the same individual was now holding up to eight hostages at the supermarket. 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.
The man had declared allegiance to Islamic State, according to the local state prosecutor. 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”.
Police have surrounded the Super U supermarket in Trèbes, south of Toulouse. Authorities in the Aude region warned people to avoid the area around the supermarket. Yves Lefebvre, secretary general of the SGP Police-FO police union, said one person had been shot dead inside the supermarket and another was seriously injured. Police have surrounded the branch of Super U and authorities have warned people to avoid the area.
General Jean-Valéry Letterman of the local gendarmerie in Languedoc-Rousillon told Le Monde there was “unfortunately one presumed death” at the supermarket, but said a doctor was not in place to confirm this. 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. LCI TV said the second victim was also dead, although this was not independently confirmed, and that 12 people were injured.
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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.
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”.
More details soon …More details soon …
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