Eight people are being held captive in a supermarket in the southwestern France town of Trebes, a police source said March 23, adding that the hostage-taker had shot at a police officer, Reuters reported.
BFM TV said the hostage-taker has claimed allegiance to the “Islamic State” terrorist group.
A source at the Paris prosecutor’s office said counter-terrorism prosecutors were investigating the hostage-taking.
The local prefecture confirmed the hostage-taking at the Super U supermarket but did not confirm the Islamic State allegiance.
Earlier, France’s Interior Ministry had said security officials were carrying out an operation at a supermarket in southern France, but gave no details.
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.