Hostage-taking gunman surrenders to French police

A revolver-wielding man, who held six people hostage at a bank in the French port city of Le Havre, surrendered after an hours-long standoff with the police, authorities said on Thursday.

The incident began shortly after 17:00 local time (15:00 UTC). Local law enforcement then blocked off the surrounding area. 

The man released at least two of the hostages, who were not injured, police said. A third person was also released or had escaped, while the remaining three were released shortly before the man surrendered to authorities.     

The Le Havre police union said that no weapons were involved in the suspect's capture. 

Read more: 143 Germans taken hostage since 2010

 

Police sources said an elite intervention unit trained to handle hostage situations had been deployed. 

Suspect was on police watchlist

The 34-year-old man was previously known to the police, a police union official involved in the operation said. He is believed to have Islamist sympathies. 

"We've identified him. He's on a watchlist. We know that he has been radicalized and suffers a serious psychiatric illness," Yves Lefebvre, head of SGP Unite police union, told Reuters.

Home to around 170,000 people, Le Havre is located on the English channel, some 200 kilometers (124 miles) north-west of Paris. 

kp,jcg/dj (AP, Reuters)