An armed man took several people hostage on Thursday afternoon in the French 'Super U' supermarket in Bessé-sur-Braye commune in the Sarthe department; the hostages were eventually released.
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The criminal's motive remains unclear, the local media reported, adding that the man allegedly threatened to commit suicide.
The prefecture of Sarthe issued a statement in which it confirmed that a hostage-taking took place adding that "currently there are no more hostages" and police have arrived at the site to investigate the incident.
This is not the first time a hostage-taking has taken place in a 'Super U' store. In March 2018, a gunman took several people hostage at another branch of the supermarket chain in the southern commune of Trebes. He was gunned down in a police assault after killing two people during an hours-long siege. A police offer, among others, was injured in the incident.