Last hostage at French school freed

on 10/07/2012 11:32:34

Police say an armed man who took hostages this morning at a school complex south of Paris has released the last one unhurt.

A police official said the hostage-taker was still inside the complex, which includes nursery and elementary schools.

He said the last hostage had "no injuries". Children initially taken hostage were freed earlier.
Authorities had said that the last hostage was a parent of one of the children.

Pierre Dartout, the prefect of the Val-de-Marne region, said that the officers from the elite Raid police force were in contact with the hostage-taker in order to negotiate with him.

The man took the hostages in Vitry-sur-Seine, a commuter town with residents from a variety of socio-economic classes.

French schools are on summer holiday but many are running summer activities.

In late June, a man took four employees of a bank hostage in Toulouse. Authorities at the time said he appeared to be mentally ill and ranted disjointedly about religious motives.

Toulouse is the southern French city that was terrorised by a gunman who police said claimed links to al Qaida and killed three Jewish schoolchildren, a rabbi and three paratroopers. The suspected perpetrator, Mohamed Merah, was killed after a long stand-off with the Raid police.