Toulouse gunman captured, hostages released - police

Published time: June 20, 2012 09:49
Edited time: June 20, 2012 19:09
CIC bank, Toulouse, France

Police have detained a man claiming to have links with Al Qaeda hours after he took four people hostage in a bank in the southern French city of Toulouse.

The man armed with a firearm entered a CIC bank branch in central Toulouse at about 11 a.m. (9.00 GMT) taking the bank director and three other people hostage; two of them were released in return for food and water.

A French prosecutor announced that the gunman is acting out of religious reasons rather than for a failed armed robbery; however, he did not specify what faith the man adheres to.­ Neither could the prosecutor explain why the hostage-taker would choose a bank rather than a state-owned location.

Reports say the man fired one shot from a gun and demanded to speak to the elite RAID police unit responsible for shooting down al Qaeda-inspired Islamist Mohamed Merah. A second shot was reportedly fired in mid-afternoon. The man also claimed he had explosives.

Police had reportedly identified the hostage-taker and brought in a negotiator who knew him. The anonymous police source cited by Reuters said the captor had a name of North African origin and had been to a psychiatric hospital.

The area around the bank is cordoned off by anti-terrorist police from the nearby cities of Bordeaux and Marseille, roads are closed and neighboring schools have been evacuated. A bomb disposal team is working at the scene.

This is not the first such incident in a university town of Toulouse, never before known as a hotbed of religious tension.

The bank is said to be in the neighborhood where Merah, dubbed the Toulouse gunman, went on a shooting rampage in a Jewish school in March. The Islamist killed seven people, including three children, before being shot dead by police.

On June 7 a security worker was taken hostage in the Toulouse branch of France’s weather forecasting service Météo France by an unemployed man with a hunting rifle.

Comments (21)

pepe (unregistered) 21.06.2012 13:35

Arthur Borges (unregistered) wrote in #20
You guys are funny: How many people has Christianity killed?

Shall we start with

4,000,00 0 in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos?
1,500,000 in Iraq?
Or 50,000,000 Native Americans in North America alone since 1600?

How about the World War II fire-bombings of Germany and Japan? Only another 20,000,000 to throw in!

Oh yes, you should also know that since World War II, 85% of the dead and injured are civilians. Think about it everytime some country gets obliterated for the sake of regime change and promises of Freedom & Democracy.

Christians might have been the ones shooting and getting killed, but jews planned and implemented those programs.

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Arthur Borges (unregistered) 21.06.2012 04:55

You guys are funny: How many people has Christianity killed?

Shall we start with

4,000,00 0 in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos?
1,500,000 in Iraq?
Or 50,000,000 Native Americans in North America alone since 1600?

How about the World War II fire-bombings of Germany and Japan? Only another 20,000,000 to throw in!

Oh yes, you should also know that since World War II, 85% of the dead and injured are civilians. Think about it everytime some country gets obliterated for the sake of regime change and promises of Freedom & Democracy.




0

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Proud Muzza (unregistered) 20.06.2012 23:27

pro israel pro life (unregistered) wrote in #17
sick and tired of muslim uglies being on the news when their are more important, more worthy people to be honor then the religion of dogs and pigs. who is muhammad well let me show you beautiful people who this scumbag is.
Sahih al-Bukhari, volume 7, book 62, number 17Narrated jabir bin 'abdullah:
When I got married, Allah's apostle said to me, "what type of lady have you married?" I replied, "I have married a matron." he said, "why, don't you have a liking for the virgins and for fondling them?" Jabir also said: Allah's apostle said, "why didn't you marry a young girl so that you might play with her and she with you?"
Sahih Bukhari volume 1, book 4, number 231: 
Narrated Sulaiman bin Aasar:I asked 'Aisha about the clothes soiled with semen. She replied, "i used to wash it off the clothes of Allah's apostle and he would go for the prayer while water spots were still visible. "
Bukhari (6:298) - Muhammad would take a bath with the little Aisha and fondle her.Narrated 'Aisha:
The prophet and I used to take a bath from a single pot while we were junub. During the menses, he used to order me to put on an izar (dress worn below the waist) and used to fondle me. While in itikaf, he used to bring his head near me and I would wash it while I used to be in my periods (menses). wash that stinky mouth, before you even talk about Peace be upon him. has over a billion followers his religion.. its the whites that has stolen or helped others steal poor countries resources, including cold blooded murders..sarkozy is probqbly plotting a coup, coz last rogue "Merah" myth was not able to win him election for Islamophobic sentiments.so hes having another try at it. your so naive.  
secondly, it was the jewish dat killed Your god, our prophet, yet youstill suck up to them.. as your name clear identify you as a supporter of cold blooded murderous.. most of the priests that you call " Father"  happen to b "child molester " "peodophiles" google it n u will find out what the preacher of ur religion do...hahhaaa
last but not least Islams the fastest growing religion, it will outlast you, your leaders, and your negative thoughts and your corrupt catholic banking system ," POPE foundation

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