A hostage situation in the northern French town of Roubaix, near the Belgium border, has ended and hostages have been “secured,” according to officials.
Earlier Tuesday Agence France-Presse (AFP), reported the situation to be a possible bank robbery gone wrong. The incident does not appear to be connected to the Nov. 13 Paris attacks.
The prefecture of the Nord region said that all hostages were safe after the hours-long incident Tuesday night. There was no confirmation of location of the incident, nor on the number of hostages or hostage-takers involved.
Several people were reported to have been taken hostage Tuesday, with reports of shots fired. Reuters reported injuries from gunshot wounds, citing local medical services.
“An operation is underway after hostages were taken. Gunshots were fired and the neighbourhood has been cordoned off,” the source told Reuters. “A bank director and his family may have been taken as hostages.”
The mayor’s office said the suspect or suspects “carried out a robbery,” AFP reported.
Roubaix is located near the Belgium border and about 120km from Brussels. The Belgian capital has been on lockdown for days as police hunt for fugitive suspects connected to the Paris attacks earlier this month.
With a file from the Associated Press
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