Hollande calls attack on Paris supermarket an 'appalling anti-Semitic act'
French President Francois Hollande confirmed reports on Friday that four hostages were killed at a siege of a kosher supermarket in eastern Paris.
Hollande called for national unity and said the country should remain "implacable" in the face of racism and anti-Semitism.
"It is indeed an appalling anti-Semitic act that was committed," he said of the hostage-taking by an Islamist gunman at the Hyper Cacher supermarket in the Vincennes district.
Some hostages were seen rushing from the market after heavily armed police broke the siege at the same time as they ended a separate stand-off in northern France involving the two Islamist suspects behind the killings at Charlie Hebdo magazine this week.
Reuters
The moment police special forces moved in on the terrorists in the grocery store in east Paris, killing Amedy Coulibaly. Four hostages were killed in the siege.
A screengrab taken from an AFP TV video shows a general view of members of the French police special forces launching the assault at a kosher grocery store in Porte de Vincennes, eastern Paris. Photo: AFP
French President says police special forces acted in 'one movement'
French President Francois Hollande has addressed the nation and praised the police for their courage and actions in ending the two sieges.
He said the police special forces acted in 'one movement' to end the sieges when given the order so that the lives of hostages could be saved.
"We are proud of them because when the order was given they assaulted in one movement with the same result," he said in a television address.
"They did it to save lives, the lives of the hostages."
Praised police ... French President Francois Hollande. Photo: AFP
#BREAKING Charlie Hebdo gunman told French TV he was sent and financed by Al Qaeda
— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) January 9, 2015
#BREAKING Armed robber takes two hostage at jewellery store in southern French city
— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) January 9, 2015
#UPDATE: Four critically wounded in Paris supermarket hostage drama, says security source
— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) January 9, 2015
Female terrorist suspect was in grocery siege and escaped: reports
There are unconfirmed reports that Hayat Boumeddiene, 26, the female suspect in the killing of a policewoman earlier this week, took part in the siege of a grocery store in east Paris. She escaped and is still at large, the BBC reports.
Hayat Boumeddiene (left) and Amedy Coulibaly (right) are suspected of being involved in the killing of a policewoman in Montrouge on January 8. Coulibaly is also supected to have taken a hostages at a kosher grocery store in east Paris. Photo: AFP
Farid Bara, who works 50 metres from where the hostages were held at the printworks buildings filmed the video below. He wrote in his Facebook post: "I can tell you that we had the impression of being at war, the entire Area is squared by the cops and helicopters".
Post by Farid Bara.
Four hostages killed at Paris kosher supermarket: reports
A French security source has revealed four hostages and the gunman holding them in a Paris kosher supermarket have been killed.
The store was raided by security forces and other hostages have been freed.
AP
Members of the French police special forces evacuate the hostages after launching the assault at a kosher grocery store in Porte de Vincennes, east Paris. Photo: AFP
#BREAKING Five dead, including gunman, in Paris supermarket hostage drama: security source
— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) January 9, 2015
Several hostages freed at Jewish supermarket in Paris. Photo Thomas Samson #AFP pic.twitter.com/C9ltgMT0Wl — AFP Photo Department (@AFPphoto) January 9, 2015
Assault against Kouachi brothers at Dammartin printworks
An AFP reporter who witnessed the French commandos storming the building at Dammartin says it went roughly like this:
- First a loud detonation from the building.
- A series of 30-40 gunshots was heard.
- Another big explosion, a flash of light and smoke was seen.
- An army helicopter, pictured here, flew in and landed either on the building roof or just behind it.
- Special forces alighted from it.
- There were a lot of small flashes of light on the roof of the building with no obvious sound attached - perhaps small arm fire, perhaps torches.
- A few minutes later there was another detonation and the lights flashing on the roof again.
- And then it was over. Police/army and special forces moved in the open outside the building without apparent urgency.
- First a loud detonation from the building.
- A series of 30-40 gunshots was heard.
- Another big explosion, a flash of light and smoke was seen.
- An army helicopter, pictured here, flew in and landed either on the building roof or just behind it.
- Special forces alighted from it.
- There were a lot of small flashes of light on the roof of the building with no obvious sound attached - perhaps small arm fire, perhaps torches.
- A few minutes later there was another detonation and the lights flashing on the roof again.
- And then it was over. Police/army and special forces moved in the open outside the building without apparent urgency.
Nick Miller
Smoke rises from a building in Dammartin-en-Goele, north-east of Paris, where two brothers suspected of killing 12 people in an Islamist attack on French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo held one person hostage. Photo: AFP
French commandos launch coordinated assaults
The suspects in the terror attack on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo have been killed and their hostage freed, a source has told Agence France Presse.
French commandos launched an assault on Friday evening on a building where the suspects were holed up with a hostage.
The operation unfolded at a printing firm in a small town northeast of Paris following Wednesday's attack in the city that killed 12 people at the satirical magazine.
Simultaneously an assault was launched at the site of a police siege in east Paris where a gunman was holding several hostages in a Jewish kosher grocery store.
Several hostages were reported to have been freed in that assault.
AFP
Before the assault ... French special forces take position with sniper rifles on the rooftop of a complex at an industrial building in Dammartin-en-Goele, northeast of Paris. Photo: Reuters
Hostage at printing press free and safe after police assault
Initial reports are surfacing that the Charlie Hebdo terrorists, brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi, have been killed by police and their hostage has been freed.
BREAKING Several hostages freed at Jewish supermarket in Paris: AFP
— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) January 9, 2015
FLASH Charlie Hebdo suspects killed: source
— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) January 9, 2015
Multiple explosions and shots fired at Paris grocery store
Three or four explosions and gunfire has been heard at the second siege where Amedy Coulibaly is alleged to be holding up to six hostages in a kosher grocery store in Porte de Vincennes, east Paris.
Explosions and gunfire heard at siege at Dammartin-en-Goele
Gunfire was heard at a printing business where Said and Cherif Kouachi are holding a woman hostage in a printing business in the town of Dammartin-en-Goele.
Three large detonations were heard.
It is still unclear if police have launched an assault on the Kouachi brothers.
Terrorists surrounded by police in two hostage standoffs
Barely 48 hours after the Charlie Hebdo massacre Paris was facing two simultaneous hostage sieges involving Islamist terrorists.
The Kouachi brothers behind the Hebdo attack were pinned down by police at a family-run printing business in a town 40km north of the French capital, after taking a hostage on their way into the building.
Amedy Coulibaly, reported to be a 'close friend' of the brothers went into a kosher supermarket in Paris' inner east, firing a rifle, and taking an estimated six hostages.
There are conflicted reports as to whether two people were killed by Coulibaly.
He is believed to be the same man who shot dead policewoman Clarissa Jean-Philippe in south Paris on Thursday.
His girlfriend, Hayat Boumeddiene, 26, is also a suspect in this deadly incident.
On Friday morning the manhunt for the terrorists behind the attack on Charlie Hebdo converged on the town of Dammartin-en-Goele.
Said and Cherif Kouachi had reportedly hijacked a woman's car in a town to Paris' north-east, and she alerted police.
- Nick Miller and Daniel Fallon
Hayat Boumeddiene (left) and Amedy Coulibaly (right) are suspected of being involved in the killing of a policewoman in Montrouge on January 8. Coulibaly is also supected to have taken a hostages at a kosher grocery store in east Paris. Photo: AFP
No comments:
Post a Comment