Latest updates: French President Emmanuel Macron said all evidence suggested the hostage-taking and shootings were a terrorist attack, reports AP. Speaking in Brussels, where he is attending an EU summit, Macron offered his "full support" to everyone involved in the situation.
A gunman in southwest France has killed at least three people and injured two others in three separate incidents around the city of Carcassonne, security sources told AFP.
The man first hijacked a car in Carcassonne on Friday morning, killing a passenger and injuring the driver, the sources told AFP on condition of anonymity.
He then shot at a group of policemen nearby, leaving one of the officers injured, before driving to the nearby town of Trebes where he killed two people and injured another at a Super U supermarket, the sources said.
French investigators suspect the gunman who took people hostage at a supermarket on Friday is a Moroccan man who had been flagged as a potential extremist, a security source said to AFP.
France24 reports that the suspect in the Trèbes hostage-taking has reportedly asked for the release of the 2015 Paris attacker Salah Abdeslam. French private channel BFM TV has also reported the news, citing an anonymous source.
French president Emmanuel Macron to speak in Brussels on Trèbes hostage taking, reports Catherine Nicholson, a journalist at France24.
A public information unit has been set up for Trèbes and Carcassonne; people affected by the attack can contact the phone number: 0468102900.
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said that all information suggests that the shooting inside a supermarket in southern France and the earlier shooting of a police officer "seems to be a terrorist act".
A witness said to AFP that the suspect shouted "Allahu Akbar, I’ll kill you all" before going to the premises of Super U supermarket.
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe described the situation, which investigators are treating as terrorism, as “very serious” and Interior Minister Gerard Collomb is heading to the site, his ministry said.
At least two persons were feared dead after a gunman claiming allegiance to the Islamic State group fired shots in a hostage-taking at a supermarket in southwest France on Friday, police said.
French prosecutors say treating hostage-taking as a terror incident, reports AFP.
A shooting and hostage-taking situation is unfolding at a supermarket in Trèbes, near Toulouse in south of France, AFP quoted a security source has saying. Prosecutors have said that the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the incident.
In a separate incident in the same area, a policeman was shot. A suspect has been surrounded at a supermarket in the town of Trebes, south of Toulouse, and the suspect might have taken hostages, national police said.
The man "entered the Super U supermarket at around 11.15 am and shots were heard," a source said. Local authorities tweeted that the area was out-of-bounds to the public.
The French interior ministry said that the police intervention is underway. "The priority is the intervention of the police and rescue forces. More information will come on this account, do not spread rumors," it said in a tweet.
⚠️ Intervention de police en cours à #Trèbes dans l'#Aude. La priorité est à l'intervention des forces de police et de secours. Plus d'informations à venir sur ce compte, ne diffusez pas de rumeurs ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/M2t4mLccG0 — Ministère de l'Intérieur (@Place_Beauvau) March 23, 2018
Authorities in the Aude region are warning people to avoid the area around the supermarket.
With inputs from agencies
Published Date: Mar 23, 2018 19:28 PM | Updated Date: Mar 23, 2018 20:45 PM
Highlights
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. —AP
3 dead, 2 injured in three separate attacks in France
A gunman in southwest France has killed at least three people and injured two others in three separate incidents around the city of Carcassonne, security sources told AFP.
The man first hijacked a car in Carcassonne on Friday morning, killing a passenger and injuring the driver, the sources told AFP on condition of anonymity.
He then shot at a group of policemen nearby, leaving one of the officers injured, before driving to the nearby town of Trebes where he killed two people and injured another at a Super U supermarket, the sources said. —AFP
Gunman in Trèbes hostage-taking killed by the police
French police have killed a gunman who shot dead at least three people and injured two others in a hostage-taking and shooting spree in southwest France, security sources said.
A policeman involved in the freeing of all of the hostages at the Super U supermarket in the town of Trèbes was injured during the operation to kill the gunman, the source added, asking not to be named. — AFP
Moroccan man identified as France hostage-taking suspect
French investigators suspect the gunman who took people hostage at a supermarket on Friday is a Moroccan man who had been flagged as a potential extremist, a security source said to AFP.
Trèbes hostage-takers reportedly asks for release of Paris attack suspect Salah Abdeslam
France24 reports that the suspect in the Trèbes hostage-taking has reportedly asked for the release of the 2015 Paris attacker Salah Abdeslam. French private channel BFM TV has also reported the news, citing an anonymous source.
A public information unit has been set up for Trèbes and Carcassonne; people affected by the attack can contact the phone number: 0468102900
Two dead, at least 12 injured in Trèbes terror attack
LCI TV reports that at least 12 people have injured in Trèbes terror attack. Two people have been killed in the shootings in Trèbes and Carcassonne so far. A police source said to Reuters that eight people were being held hostage in the supermarket in Trèbes.
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe shortens his visit to Mulhouse to return to Paris and look into the Trèbes terror attack
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe also said that all information suggests that the shooting inside a supermarket in southern France and the earlier shooting of a police officer "seems to be a terrorist act".
French President Emmanuel Macron has asked Interior Minister Gerard Collomb to go to the site of a shooting and hostage-taking in southern France, reports AP
At least two feared dead in French hostage situation, says police
At least two persons were feared dead after a gunman claiming allegiance to the Islamic State group fired shots in a hostage-taking at a supermarket in southwest France on Friday, 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. —AFP
French prosecutors say that they are treating the hostage-taking as a terror incident, reports AFP
France gunman claims allegiance to Islamic State group
The gunman who fired shots during a hostage-taking situation on Friday morning at a supermarket in southwest France claimed allegiance to the Islamic State group (IS), the local prosecutor's office said.
The attack took place in the town of Trebes. Shortly beforehand, an armed man shot and injured a police officer in the city of Carcassonne, about 15 minutes by car from Trebes. It was not clear whether the two incidents were linked. —AFP
Shooting, hostage situation in south France
A policeman was shot and a man took hostages at a supermarket in two separate incidents in the same area of southwest France on Friday, security sources told AFP.
The policeman was shot in the town of Carcassonne, while a gunman fired shots during a hostage-taking Friday morning at a supermarket in the town of Trebes 15 minutes' drive away.
The man "entered the Super U supermarket at around 11.15 am and shots were heard," a source said of the Trebes incident. Local authorities tweeted that the area was out-of-bounds to the public. —AFP
20:45 (IST)
Trèbes terror attack suspect, Redouane Lakdim, was known to the police but not deemed extremist threat: interior minister
The man who killed three people in a shooting spree and hostage siege in southern France on Friday was known to police but was not considered a terror threat, Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said.
Collomb named the gunman, who was killed by police, as 26-year-old Redouane Lakdim and described him as a small-time drug dealer. "He was known by the police for petty crimes, we had monitored him and did not think he had been radicalised," Collomb said after arriving at the scene of the hostage-taking in the town of Trebes, near Carcassonne.
"He was already under surveillance when he suddenly decided to act," he said. Security sources had said the gunman was believed to be a Moroccan who was on a watch list of suspected Islamic extremists, but Collomb did not confirm his nationality. — AFP
20:14 (IST)
EU gives 'full support' to French people over attacks
The EU offers its full support to the French people amid a new set of attacks carried out Friday in France, European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said.
"France has again been hit by a cowardly and bloody act," Juncker told an EU summit press conference, offering "all our feelings and our full support to the French authorities and the French people". —AFP
20:13 (IST)
French President Emmanuel Macron tweets about Trèbes terror attack
19:31 (IST)
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. —AP
19:23 (IST)
3 dead, 2 injured in three separate attacks in France
A gunman in southwest France has killed at least three people and injured two others in three separate incidents around the city of Carcassonne, security sources told AFP.
The man first hijacked a car in Carcassonne on Friday morning, killing a passenger and injuring the driver, the sources told AFP on condition of anonymity.
He then shot at a group of policemen nearby, leaving one of the officers injured, before driving to the nearby town of Trebes where he killed two people and injured another at a Super U supermarket, the sources said. —AFP
19:20 (IST)
Students in Trèbes made to stay inside schools, officials report all students are safe
The Paris prosecutor's office says the prosecutor who leads the country's counterterrorism office is heading to southern France to oversee the unfolding investigation of a hostage situation at a supermarket.
The school system in the Trèbes region says all students are safe and will remain inside schools until further notice. Parents and relatives have been told not to come to pick them up. —AP
19:16 (IST)
Gunman in Trèbes hostage-taking killed by the police
French police have killed a gunman who shot dead at least three people and injured two others in a hostage-taking and shooting spree in southwest France, security sources said.
A policeman involved in the freeing of all of the hostages at the Super U supermarket in the town of Trèbes was injured during the operation to kill the gunman, the source added, asking not to be named. — AFP
19:12 (IST)
A policeman has been held by the gunman in France terror attack. Meanwhile, the other hostages have been released, security sources said to AFP
19:10 (IST)
French interior minister urges people to stop spreading 'fake news'
French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb reaches Trèbes, the site of a shooting and hostage-taking in southern France. He interacted with the security and rescue force in the area. He also urged people to stop spreading 'fake news' and follow the interior ministry Twitter handle @Place_Beauvau for official information.
18:51 (IST)
French interior ministry urges people not to share sensational news in relation to the Trèbes hostage situation
French interior ministry warns citizens to avoid relaying sensational and shocking statements related to the terror incidents in France, they have also provided a link where people can report sources with such dubious content.
18:35 (IST)
Moroccan man identified as France hostage-taking suspect
French investigators suspect the gunman who took people hostage at a supermarket on Friday is a Moroccan man who had been flagged as a potential extremist, a security source said to AFP.
18:28 (IST)
Trèbes hostage-takers reportedly asks for release of Paris attack suspect Salah Abdeslam
France24 reports that the suspect in the Trèbes hostage-taking has reportedly asked for the release of the 2015 Paris attacker Salah Abdeslam. French private channel BFM TV has also reported the news, citing an anonymous source.
18:14 (IST)
Same car linked to Carcassonne, Trèbes incidents
Security source reported to AFP that the same car was involved in the shooting of police officers at Carcassonne and the hostage-taking situation in Trèbes.
18:05 (IST)
Emmanuel Macron to speak in Brussels on Trèbes hostage-taking, reports Catherine Nicholson, a journalist at France24
18:00 (IST)
A public information unit has been set up for Trèbes and Carcassonne; people affected by the attack can contact the phone number: 0468102900
17:56 (IST)
Two dead, at least 12 injured in Trèbes terror attack
LCI TV reports that at least 12 people have injured in Trèbes terror attack. Two people have been killed in the shootings in Trèbes and Carcassonne so far. A police source said to Reuters that eight people were being held hostage in the supermarket in Trèbes.
17:45 (IST)
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe shortens his visit to Mulhouse to return to Paris and look into the Trèbes terror attack
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe also said that all information suggests that the shooting inside a supermarket in southern France and the earlier shooting of a police officer "seems to be a terrorist act".
17:43 (IST)
Authorities in Aude provide the cell phone number: 0468102900 for people affected by the terror incident
17:38 (IST)
Suspect allegedly shouted 'Allahu Akbar' before hostage-taking in Trèbes
A witness said to AFP that the suspect shouted "Allahu Akbar, I’ll kill you all" before going to the premises of Super U supermarket
17:35 (IST)
At least two dead in French supermarket hostage-taking, police officer was in contact with gunman
"Most of the employees and customers of the Super U managed to flee," a source said to AFP, adding that a police officer was in contact with the gunman at the supermarket in the town of Trebes, near Carcassonne. —AFP
17:30 (IST)
Police move in and surround Trèbes supermarket to free hostages, reports France24
17:26 (IST)
French President Emmanuel Macron has asked Interior Minister Gerard Collomb to go to the site of a shooting and hostage-taking in southern France, reports AP
17:23 (IST)
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe says situation in Trèbes is 'very serious'
Mayor Eric Ménassi told BFM TV that the hostage taker was now alone with one police officer in the supermarket and all other hostages had been freed.
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe described the situation, which investigators are treating as terrorism, as “very serious” and Interior Minister Gerard Collomb is heading to the site, his ministry said. — Reuters
17:20 (IST)
Police union official says suspect shot at police officers in Carcassonne before taking hostages in Trèbes
Yves Lefebvre, secretary general of the SGP Police-FO union, says the suspect earlier fired six shots at police officers who were on their way back from jogging near the city of Carcassonne Friday morning. One police officer was injured in the shoulder but is not in life-threatening condition, Lefebvre said.
The police officers, based in the southern city of Marseille, were on a temporary mission in Carcassonne, he said. —AP
17:10 (IST)
At least two feared dead in French hostage situation, says police
At least two persons were feared dead after a gunman claiming allegiance to the Islamic State group fired shots in a hostage-taking at a supermarket in southwest France on Friday, 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. —AFP
17:07 (IST)
French counterterrorism prosecutors take charge of the investigation
French counterterrorism prosecutors are taking charge of the investigation into the shooting of a police officer in southern France that has led to an apparent hostage-taking at a supermarket.
Interior Minister spokesman Frederic Delanouvelle told The Associated Press that there is one suspect and police are trying to subdue him. He provided no details of how many people were inside the supermarket or were believed held hostage. —AP
16:49 (IST)
Timeline of terror attacks in France since 2015
A gunman claiming allegiance to the Islamic State group fired shots and took hostages at a supermarket in southwestern France on Friday, a local prosecutor said.
If the link to Islamic State is confirmed, the attack would be the first major incident since the election of centrist President Emmanuel Macron in May last year.
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.
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.
In July 2016, in another attack claimed by IS, a man drove a truck through revellers celebrating Bastille Day, killing 84 people. 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. —AFP
16:47 (IST)
French prosecutors say that they are treating the hostage-taking as a terror incident, reports AFP
16:46 (IST)
French Interior Ministry warns people to stay out of Trèbes, Aude and Carcassonne areas
16:45 (IST)
Interior minister of France, Gérard Collomb, holds a video conference with security forces on the situation in Trebes
16:43 (IST)
French Interior Ministry tweets about shooting in Trebes
French Interior Ministry said on Twitter that security officials were carrying out an operation at a supermarket in the town of Trebes in southern France.
16:41 (IST)
France gunman claims allegiance to Islamic State group
The gunman who fired shots during a hostage-taking situation on Friday morning at a supermarket in southwest France claimed allegiance to the Islamic State group (IS), the local prosecutor's office said.
The attack took place in the town of Trebes. Shortly beforehand, an armed man shot and injured a police officer in the city of Carcassonne, about 15 minutes by car from Trebes. It was not clear whether the two incidents were linked. —AFP
16:39 (IST)
Shooting, hostage situation in south France
A policeman was shot and a man took hostages at a supermarket in two separate incidents in the same area of southwest France on Friday, security sources told AFP.
The policeman was shot in the town of Carcassonne, while a gunman fired shots during a hostage-taking Friday morning at a supermarket in the town of Trebes 15 minutes' drive away.
The man "entered the Super U supermarket at around 11.15 am and shots were heard," a source said of the Trebes incident. Local authorities tweeted that the area was out-of-bounds to the public. —AFP