France terror attack: At least three people were killed after a gunman claiming allegiance to the Islamic State group opened fire and took hostages at a supermarket in southwest France today. A security source said the two were killed in the attack at a Super U store in the town of Trebes. Armed police were also responding to the earlier shooting of a policeman in the town of Carcassonne, 15 minutes drive away, which took place at around 11 am (1000 GMT). It was unclear if the two incidents were linked. In Trebes, a picturesque medieval town of around 5,000 people, the man "entered the Super U supermarket at around 11.15 am and shots were heard," a source told AFP on condition of anonymity. A witness reported he shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest) before going into the premises, the source added. The gunman claimed allegiance to the Islamic State group, the local prosecutor's office said, and the incident was being treated as a terror attack. Local authorities tweeted that the area around the supermarket was off-limits to the public, while Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said it was a "serious" incident.
The shootings come with France still on high alert after a string of jihadist attacks since 2015, starting in January that year with the assault on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo that left 12 people dead.
Top 10 developments on France hostage taking 1) Emmanuel Macron says all evidence suggests hostage-taking, shootings were a terrorist attack French President Emmanuel Macron said all evidence suggested the hostage-taking and shootings were a terrorist attack. Speaking in Brussels, where he is attending an EU summit, Macron offered his "full support" to everyone involved in the situation. The president said he won't give details on the number of victims "at this stage." Macron said he would return to Paris in the coming hours and will follow closely the situation. 2) Police probes suspicious vehicle at London shopping centre Special officeScotlandctland Yard were checking a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot of a shopping centre in west London today, the British Police said. "Police are currently dealing with a suspicious vehicle in the car park at Westfield London Shopping Centre in White City. Specialist officers are on scene, and the vehicle is being assessed," the Met Police said in a statement. It further said that roads have been closed and the area had been cordoned off to keep people away while the vehicle was being assessed. 3) Gunman shouts 'Vengeance for Syria!' and 'Allahu Akbar!' According to NYT report the gunman shouted, 'Vengeance for Syria!' and 'Allahu Akbar!' as he opened fire in a supermarket in southwest France. At least one person was feared dead after a gunman claiming allegiance to the Islamic State group fired shots in a hostage-taking at a supermarket in southwest France today, police said. "We unfortunately presume one person has been killed, but we cannot bring a doctor on site to check," Jean-Valery Lettermann, the regional police chief, said of the attack at a Super U store in Trebes, near Carcassonne. The gunman claimed allegiance to the Islamic State group 3) Gunman takes hostages at French supermarket A gunman has taken hostages in a supermarket in south-west France, while one policeman was shot in a separate incident near the town. It is not yet clear if the two incidents have been undertaken by the same gunman. 4) What we know so far about hostage situation in Trèbes, France: — Police surrounding Super U shop, gunman inside — Shots fired at policemen earlier, wounding one — Gunman "claims to be in Islamic State group 6) French PM says incident in southern France appears to be 'terrorist act' French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe says shooting, hostage-taking 'seems to be a terrorist act.7) The shootings come with France still on high alert after a string of jihadist attacks since 2015, starting in January that year with the assault on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo that left 12 people dead. 8) France also suffered major attacks in Paris in November 2015 when IS jihadists killed 130 people at bars, restaurants, the Bataclan concert venue and the national stadium. 9) In July 2016, in another attack claimed by IS, a man drove a truck through revellers celebrating Bastille Day, killing 84 people. 10) A state of emergency put in place just after the Paris attacks was finally lifted in October last year, but soldiers continue to patrol major tourist sites and transport hubs under an anti-terror mission.Prise d’otages en cours à Trèbes : toutes les informations laissent à penser qu’il s’agirait d’un acte terroriste. J’écourte mon déplacement à Mulhouse pour rentrer à Paris.
— Edouard Philippe (@EPhilippePM) March 23, 2018
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