A gunman is thought to be on the loose in Paris after police raided the travel agent’s office he was believed to be trying to rob. They released six hostages - but found no one else inside.
The city’s police force said it carried out the operation on the Boulevard Masséna, in the south-east of the city, at about 6.30pm on Friday.
About an hour later, the force tweeted that the operation was over, adding: “Six people brought out. The armed robber was not there.”
Earlier unconfirmed reports had suggested that seven people were being held and AFP cited anonymous sources as saying that the number “found safe and sound” after the hold-up was actually seven.
Police sources had earlier told the news agency that the robber was armed with a handgun. Drivers had been warned to stay away from the area.
Police were positioned at the site and a security perimeter was established in the neighbourhood near the ring road around Paris.
Des personnes libérées #prisedotages #paris13 pic.twitter.com/lMr6QLGkUZ
— Geoffrey_Kazmierczak (@geokzk) December 2, 2016
The incident came as fears over security remained high in France, following three major terrorist assaults over the last two years including the November 2015 Paris attacks, which left 132 people dead.
The capital is under tight security, with troops patrolling the streets daily, under a state of emergency imposed by President François Hollande after the attacks.
