Terror attack in Southern France

Trebes : Three people were killed in southwestern France yesterday when a gunman held up a car, opened fire on police and then took hostages in a supermarket.

Police later stormed the supermarket in the small town of Trebes and the attacker was killed, Interior Minister Gerard Collomb told reporters on site.

The attacker was known to authorities for petty crimes but was not considered a threat, Collomb said, adding that he was believed to have acted alone.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for Friday’s attack but offered no details. “He was known for petty crimes. We had monitored him and thought there was no radicalization,” Collomb said, before adding: “He was known for possession of drugs, we couldn’t have said that he was a radical that would carry out an attack.” 

Collomb said three people were wounded.

He said that before the attacker seized hostages he killed one person while stealing a car with a bullet in the head in the nearby historic town of Carcassonne. He then shot at police officers before taking hostages at the supermarket.

President Emmanuel Macron said the incident appeared to be a terrorist attack and security forces were securing the area.

BFM TV reported that he claimed allegiance to Islamic State Collomb said the man had demanded the release of Salah Abdeslam - the prime surviving suspect in the Islamic State attacks that killed 130 people in Paris in 2015.

Abdeslam, a French citizen born and raised in Brussels, went on trial in Belgium last month. He is accused of “attempted murder in a terrorist context” over a Brussels shootout in March 2016, four months after he fled Paris on the night of the carnage during which his brother was among the suicide bombers.

A 45-year-old lieutenant-colonel swapped himself in exchange for one of the hostages, Collomb said.

France is part of a U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria and Iraq and has thousands of soldiers in West Africa fighting al Qaeda-linked militants. 

Bahrain condemns attack 

Bahrain condemned in strongest terms yesterday the attack targeting French police and the hostage-taking situation in the southern city of Trebes. 

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement, expressed its sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wished the injured speedy recovery.

Affirming solidarity with the French Republic, the Ministry said that it “reiterates Bahrain’s firm stance that rejects terrorism in all its forms.”

The Ministry also urged the international community to “strengthen coordination and efforts to eliminate terrorism and dry up its sources of funding.” 

Alert issued

The Embassy of Bahrain in France yesterday called upon Bahraini citizens there to follow the instructions of French security authorities.

The embassy, on its official Twitter page, wrote: “In light of the current events in the south of France, all citizens are urged to be cautious and abide by the instructions of the French security authorities.”

Al Bahraini citizens, currently in the southern parts of France, especially Trebes City, should contact the embassy on 0033147234868, 0033755170131, 0033640420878 or the follow-up office in Foreign Affairs Ministry on +97317227555 in case of emergencies.