French post office hostage-taking ends, armed man surrenders
Date January 17, 2015 - 1:57AM
A suspect is detained by special police forces as a hostage situation is resolved at the post office in Colombes, near Paris Photo: Reuters
An armed man who earlier took several hostages at a post office northwest of Paris on Friday has surrendered with no one hurt, a French police official says.
The man equipped with a military weapon took an unconfirmed number of hostages at the post office in the town of Colombes, just outside the capital.
"I cannot confirm or deny whether it is linked to terrorism," an official at the city prosecutor's office said earlier, declining to give further details.
A man (right), who had allegedly taken two hostages in a post office, is arrested by French Research and Intervention Brigades (BRI) police officers in Colombes, outside Paris. Photo: AFP
BFM TV, citing an unidentified source, said the hostage drama was not related to last week's attacks in Paris.
French police arrested 12 people earlier on Friday suspected of helping militant Islamist gunmen in last week's killings in Paris. There have been numerous false alerts across the city since the attacks.
On Friday police cordoned off the area in Colombes, a city northwest of Paris, and a helicopter was flying overhead.
The post office where an armed man held two hostages in Colombes.
The post office where an armed man held two hostages in Colombes. Photo: AFP
Reuters
