Armed man ‘takes six people hostage’ inside bank in French city of Le Havre
- The incident is believed to have taken place at 5pm local time, local media say
- The situation at BRED bank, on Boulevard de Strasbourge, ended peacefully
- No casualties were reported and all of the hostages were released
A 34-year-old man armed with a gun took six people hostage in a bank in Le Havre, with police sources claiming the assailant had been ‘radicalised’.
A bomb squad made its way to BRED bank in Boulevard de Strasbourge, a senior official said, following news that there was a bag possibly containing explosives at the scene.
A representative of the national police told Reuters the hostage-taker had initially seized six people.
Negotiators were eventually able to secure the release of all hostages as the assailant released them one by one.
The last captive was released shortly before the hostage-taker turned himself in, a police official said.
Members from the French elite tactical police unit RAID gather outside a bank in the port city of Le Havre
Crowds flocked to the scene despite a warning from police that urged spectators to keep away
The police representative said the hostage-taker had a history of mental health problems.
He is believed to be known to authorities and is on a security service watch list.
‘We know that he has been radicalised and suffers a serious psychiatric illness,’ Yves Lefebvre, head of the SGP Unite police union, said.
A senior police official said the man holding the hostages had made statements in support of the Palestinian cause.
French police patrolled the area near the bank in the port city as they negotiated the release of hostages
French Chief Prosecutor Francois Gosselin addresses media outside the bank
He added that the man had also requested a motor scooter and access to social networks.
Police cordoned off the area and urged the public to keep away from the area.
The hostage-taker was apparently armed with a handgun, but it was not immediately clear whether the weapon was real or fake.