Police officers near the store where a man held four people hostage in Toulouse on Tuesday. Photo: AFP
Source:
https://scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3009267/gunman-takes-four-hostages-southern-france Europe
Teenage gunman releases four women after holding them hostage in store in southern France
- The suspect, who had previously been arrested at yellow vest protest, fired into the air and demanded to speak with a negotiator
- Police locked down neighbourhood, evacuating some buildings and ordering other residents to stay inside
A woman who was taken hostage by an armed teenager on Tuesday leaves the scene after being freed along with three others. Photo: AFP
A teenager released four women after holding them hostage in a newsagent’s store in Toulouse, southwestern France, on Tuesday, a police source said.
The 17-year-old, who was arrested at a yellow vest protest in December, had made no demands before releasing the women, the source said.
He fired at least one shot over the heads of police and had demanded a negotiator, the source said, adding that the incident did not appear to be terrorism-related.
The gunman had not yet surrendered to authorities.
The police set up a 300-metre security cordon around the store in the city’s Blagnac suburb and told neighbours to stay indoors. A police helicopter circled overhead.
The man seized the hostages at 4.20pm on Tuesday, according to a national police spokeswoman.
“It’s worrying. It all happened so quickly,” said neighbour Robert Texier, who expressed surprise at the incident in what he described as a quiet neighbourhood on the banks of the Garonne River.
He said the store has been run for decades by a woman and her daughter who live in the adjacent building.
Reuters, Associated Press