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| ‘Terrorist’ hostage taker shot dead in France after killing & injuring several (VIDEO) | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| French police have shot dead a gunman who took hostages at a supermarket in southern France, Interior Minister Gerard Collomb has confirmed. Paris had earlier referred to the incident as a likely terrorist act. | |
| READ MORE: Supermarket hostage-taker in southwestern France claims allegiance to ISIS – local media | |
| The gunman, reportedly of Moroccan origin, first opened fire at four police officers in the historic town of Carcassonne on Monday morning. He later stormed a supermarket in the nearby town of Trebes, taking numerous hostages. | |
| The man is also suspected of killing the driver of the car in Carcassonne and stealing his vehicle before the hostage-taking, according to reports in French media. The passenger of the vehicle was taken to hospital in a critical condition. | |
| The combined death toll of the shootings in Carcassonne and the hostage situation in Trebes has climbed to three, according to BFMTV. | |
| French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said that at least one police officer had been injured as a result of the attack. “The counterterrorism office has taken the case; all the information we have as I speak leads us to think that this would be a terrorist act,” Philippe told journalists. | |
| Philippe also confirmed the incident in Carcassonne where four state police officers came under fire. “One of them was injured but is not in a life-threatening condition,” he said. | |
| A French Interior Ministry spokesman declined to confirm to BFMTV that two people had been killed in the hostage situation at the supermarket. | |
| According to French media, the perpetrator was known to intelligence services – particularly the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI). | |
| The hostage-taker demanded the release of Salah Abdeslam, the only surviving terrorist suspect behind the Paris attacks, BFMTV said. Abdeslam is currently in prison awaiting trial for his alleged involvement in the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks. | |
| According to Le Figaro newspaper, a 45-year-old lieutenant-colonel swapped himself in exchange for one of the hostages in a supermarket. |