'Al Qaeda Militant' Holds Hostages in French Bank

A gunman claiming to be an al-Qaeda militant has taken four hostages in a bank in the Southern French city of Toulouse, international media inform.

The man fired a shot and demanded to speak to the Raid elite police unit that shot Islamist gunman Mohamed Merah.

The bank is 100 metres (330ft) from Merah's flat, in an area adjacent to the barracks where the elite Raid police unit was based during the siege of Merah's flat, BBC says.

No injuries had been reported so far, according to local police.

In March, the Raid police force led a 32-hour standoff with Frenchman Mohamed Merah, whom police say was behind the shootings of three Jewish schoolchildren, a rabbi and three paratroopers.

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