France: Man claiming al-Qaeda link takes hostages

Toulouse (France): A man claiming to be a member of al-Qaeda has taken several hostages in a bank in the southwestern French city of Toulouse, a police union source said on Wednesday.

The source said the man had fired a shot and could be holding up to four people. The Interior Ministry was not immediately available to comment.

In March, an al-Qaeda-inspired gunman shot dead three soldiers, a rabbi and three Jewish children in Toulouse. The man was later shot dead by police after a standoff at his home in the city.

The source said the man had fired a shot and could be holding up to four people. The Interior Ministry was not immediately available to comment.

The man, 23-year-old Mohammed Merah, was later shot dead by police after a standoff at his home in the city, in the same area as the CIC bank that was under siege on Wednesday.

The Interior Ministry was not immediately available to comment.

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