On Friday, a gunman took hostages at a supermarket in Trebes, France and claimed allegiance to ISIS. He did so with a direct callback to the 2015 Paris terror attacks that killed 130 people while demanding the release of the only surviving suspect, Salah Abdeslam (who is currently on trial in Belgium in connection with the shootout that led to his arrest). The hostage situation in Trebes has now turned fatal, with the shooter killing at least three, including a shopper and a butcher, according to the Evening Standard, and injuring a dozen more, including an off-duty police officer.
Fox News reports word from French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, who quickly declared that this “seems to be a terrorist act” and “a serious situation.” Since that time, the gunman (who reportedly referenced French air force attacks on ISIS while shouting, “You’re bombing Syria, you’re going to die”) appears to have released all hostages who haven’t been shot. Yet the BBC adds that the suspect remained in the supermarket:
Trèbes Mayor Eric Menassi told BFM TV that the gunman was now alone in the shop with one police officer, after other hostages were freed.
The suspect is said to be heavily armed and asking for the release of Salah Abdeslam, the most important surviving suspect in the 13 November 2015 Paris attacks, which killed 130 people. Reports say the suspect is known to French intelligence services and that his mother is at the scene.
At 10:30 am EST, the Telegraph reported that the gunman (a Moroccan national) was shot and killed by police during the standoff, thereby putting an end to the immediate situation.
This attack follows a likely-related Friday incident in nearby Carcassonne (about 15 minutes away), where a policeman was shot while jogging. And while the Islamic State has not issued a direct statement on the Trebes attack as of yet, this news follows days after an ISIS suicide bomber killed 30 during Persian New Year celebrations in Afghanistan. Both attacks, inevitably, will spark fresh concerns that although the number of ISIS militants appears to be on the downswing (as the U.S. helps liberate Iraq and Syria), the terror organization is still operating, recruiting, and influencing on a global basis.
(Via BBC, Evening Standard, Telegraph & Fox News)