Paris: A group of gunmen broke into a discount clothing store near Paris on Monday, trapping 18 people inside for hours before fleeing and prompting a manhunt throughout the area, police said.
All 18 people were safely evacuated from the Primark store in a shopping center in the town of Villeneuve-la-Garenne, according to a regional police official. She said police are now pursuing the assailants.
Police surrounded the sprawling shopping center and cordoned off the neighborhood, adjacent to the Seine River about 10 kilometers (6 miles) north of central Paris.
The assailants entered the store around 6:30 a.m. (0430 GMT; 8:30am Abu Dhabi time) Monday in what police believe was an attempted robbery, another police official said. Several people were already inside, primarily employees.
Officers from a special police unit entered the store, and a few officers emerged later accompanying women reported to be store employees, according to images broadcast on BFM television.
There was no immediate sign of a political or other motive for the robbery.
The Paris region remains on high alert after Islamic extremists attacked a kosher supermarket and satirical newspaper offices in January, leaving 20 people dead including the attackers.
Special police units surrounded the store in the town of Villeneuve-la-Garenne, according to a Paris regional police official. The official was not authorised to be publicly named.
The RAID team have arrived at the #Qwartz Shopping Centre #Paris #Primark pic.twitter.com/tjLKFGawhG— Kobi Gronkowski (@kobijv) July 13, 2015
The French newspaper Le Parisien has reported that one of the robbers was recognised as an employee of Primark. It is also being reported that one of the 18 people removed from the store had "fallen ill" after the raid. There are no other injuries reported.
PHOTO: SWAT teams at Primark in Paris where 10 hostages being held - photo via @RT_com pic.twitter.com/8EttJqrXnR— Kay Burley (@KayBurley) July 13, 2015
A Primark spokesman said: "We can confirm that there has been an incident at our Quartz shopping centre store in northern Paris. "Police are in attendance and media inquiries are being referred to them. "We will do all we can to support our staff and their families. We hope for a speedy and safe end to this incident."
Robbery
The official said the assailants were trying to rob the store and entered around 6:30 a.m. (0430GMT) Monday.
The official said it is unclear whether the 10 people trapped inside are being held hostage or are hiding from the gunmen.
Television images showed several helmeted elite police officers entering a side door of the shopping center mid-morning.
Police said the shopping center and surrounding area are closed to the public because of the security operation.
The discount clothing store is in a shopping center adjacent to the Seine River about 10 kilometers (6 miles) north of central Paris.
There was no immediate sign of a political or other motive for the robbery.
The Paris region remains on high alert for terrorist activity after Islamic extremists attacked a kosher supermarket and satirical newspaper offices in January, leaving 20 people dead including the attackers.
Police tape can be seen blocking roads off while officers stand in the road.
It appears as of the gunmen have now fled the area and the hostages been freed, but police are refusing to confirm if the siege is over. They have said they still do not know if there are other people still inside.
One robber 'was employee'
