France hostage crisis LIVE: Trebes supermarket gunman killed by police, say reports

Two persons are reported killed in the hostage-taking incident in a supermarket in the south-western France town of Trebes, a security source said on Friday.

The hostage-taker, who has claimed allegiance to the Islamic State terror outfit, had earlier shot at a police officer.

French prosecutors say they are treating the hostage-taking as terror incident.

More than 240 people have been killed in France in attacks since 2015 by assailants who pledged allegiance to, or were inspired by, Islamic State.

Here are the live updates:

7.16pm: Gunman in French hostage-taking killed by police: AFP quoting security source

7.14pm: A 45-year-old French military officer swaps himself for hostage: Reuters quoting source close to investigation.

7.10pm: 3 dead, 2 hurt in three separate attacks in France: Security source

7pm: French President Emmanuel Macron says hostage-taking incident appears to be a terrorist attack: Reuters

6.40pm: Attacker shot one person in the head in Carcassone before hosatge-taking before taking hostages in Trebes, said Bruno Bartocetti, the regional representative of the SGP police union. The two cities are about 20 minutes’ drive away.

BFM TV reported that the man had shot one person in a car and injured another before stealing the vehicle

6.24pm: Moroccan man identified as France hostage-taking suspect: Security source.

6.20pm:

6.14pm: Same car linked to hostage-taking and police shooting: Security source.

6.05pm: French police say 2 killed, about a dozen wounded in supermarket hostage-taking in southern France.

5.58pm: Hostage-taker has asked for the release of Paris November 2015 attacker Salah Abdeslam: BFM TV

Abdeslam is the prime surviving suspect in the attacks in Paris that killed 130 people

5.30pm: Prime Minister Edouard Philippe says: “The hostage situation is ongoing. The operation is not over. All the information we have as I speak lead us to think that this would be a terrorist act.”

5.25pm: Mayor Eric Ménassi says gunman entered French supermarket shouting “Allahu Akbar, I’ll kill you all”.

Police at the scene of a hostage situation in a supermarket in Trebes on Friday, in this picture obtained from a social media video. (REUTERS)

5.12pm: At least two dead in French supermarket hostage-taking: security source.

5.10pm: 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.

5.08pm: Mayor Eric Ménassi tells BFM TV that the hostage-taker was now alone with one police officer in the supermarket and all other hostages had been freed.

5.02 pm: At least one person has been killed during a hostage situation in a southern France supermarket - Depeche du Midi newspaper reported on Friday.

4.58pm: French prosecutors say treating hostage-taking as terror incident.

4.57 pm: The local prefecture confirmed the hostage-taking at the Super U supermarket but did not confirm the Islamic State allegiance.

A source at the Paris prosecutor’s office said counter-terrorism prosecutors were investigating the hostage-taking.

4.30 pm: France’s Interior Ministry had said security officials were carrying out an operation at a supermarket in southern France, but gave no details.

4. 20 pm: The UNSA police union also said on Twitter a police operation was underway after an individual had earlier shot at four officers in the Carcassone region injuring one of them.

Authorities in the Aude region are warning people to avoid the area around the supermarket.