A major police operation has ended in Trèbes, France, with three helicopters being engaged, due to a shooting followed by a hostage-taking incident in a city supermarket, according to the French Interior Ministry.
French President Macron says that three people have been killed and 16 people wounded in a shooting in southern France.
The hostage taker, Redouane Lakdim, 26, who is claimed to be of Moroccan origin, has been killed, according to French Interior Minister. The attacker has asked for the release of Paris November 2013 attacker, Salah Abdeslam, according to the BFM TV. Abdeslam is the prime surviving suspect in the attacks in Paris that killed 130 people.
The Daesh jihadist group claimed responsibility for shooting three people and a hostage siege.
READ MORE: What We Know So Far About French Hostage Taker, Self-Proclaimed Daesh 'Soldier'
French interior minister describes the suspect as radicalized petty criminal under surveillance.
"The circumstances of the incident allow us to consider it a terrorist attack. The hostage situation is ongoing. The operation is not over," Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said, as aired by the BFMTV broadcaster.
According to the details of the investigation, a man "entered the supermarket Super U around 11:15 a.m. and shots were heard," a source close to the case told AFP. The attacker had allegedly killed a man and stole his car before the supermarket was surrounded by the police. It is known, that he has been under police supervision.
READ MORE: French Prime Minister Calls Shooting in Southern France a 'Terrorist Act'
According to prosecutors, Redouane Lakdim has reportedly claimed allegiance to the Daesh* group and the hostage-taking is being treated as a terror incident, and the anti-terrorist division of Paris prosecutor's office has opened an investigation into the incident.
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Authorities in the Aude region are advising people to avoid the area around the supermarket.
Hostage situation at French supermarket has been "very serious" according to the French Prime Minister. French Interior Minister has come to Trebes.
A #Trebes les gendarmes bouclent les accès au #SuperU où a lieu la prise d'otages pic.twitter.com/WjiOU1HPN7
— 20 Minutes Toulouse (@20minutestoul) 23 марта 2018 г.
— Gérard Collomb (@gerardcollomb) March 23, 2018
— ابـو شيخه (@q_op78s) 23 марта 2018 г.
— SSF (@SauveteursSSF) 23 марта 2018 г.
— sudhakar (@naidusudhakar) 23 марта 2018 г.
Prise d'otage en cours au Super U à #Trèbes dans l'Aude. Un homme aurait ouvert le feu en direction d'un CRS qui a été blessé. Plus de détails suivront. pic.twitter.com/KtFiQXdvtp
— [ Lies⚡️Breaker ] (@Lies_Breaker) 23 марта 2018 г.
Près de #Carcassonne la prise d'otages dans un Supermarché #SuperU aurait fait 1 mort et 1 blessé grave selon @lindependant
— Paul Tian (@tianplus) 23 марта 2018 г.
La piste d'un attentat islamiste est envisagée par les forces de l'ordre #Trebes #PriseOtage #otage #CRS #attentat #Terrorisme #Occitanie pic.twitter.com/lFnBc2C8xF
Se confirma que hay un tiroteo y hay rehenes en el supermercado. pic.twitter.com/bPxoj95hfq
— RO-1 (@Undercover_Camo) 23 марта 2018 г.
— Prise d'otages en cours dans le Super U de Trèbes, dans l'Aude
— Timothée Vilars (@TimoVilars) 23 марта 2018 г.
— Un CRS blessé par balle à Carcassonne par un homme arméhttps://t.co/Bf8og1ra4r pic.twitter.com/VWgc6KlWJk
🔴[OPERATION POLICE TREBES]🔴
— Préfecture de l'Aude (@Prefet11) 23 марта 2018 г.
Ne diffusez pas de fausses informations.
suivez les comptes officiels @Place_Beauvau @Prefet11
*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist group banned in Russia
