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Two Hostage Situations in France: Suspects Reported Killed

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Update: 3:40 pm
Update: 1:30 pm
Update: 12:28 pm

As Paris is still reeling from the tragedy at satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday, and the manhunt is still on to find the brothers believed to responsible, a second incident has unfolded within the city limits themselves.

There were two hostage situations in France today. One was Northeast of Paris in Dammartin-en-Goële where it was believed that the Kouachi brothers are holed up. They ended up in an industrial estate, and they took a hostage.

Meanwhile, another shooting and hostage situation occurred in eastern Paris, inside a Kosher market. The suspect in that case is believed to have shot a policewoman yesterday, and is linked to the Kouachi brothers. The suspect in that case is named Amedy Coulibaly, and reports say he has a female accomplice Hayat Boumeddiene. Boumeddiene is Coulibaly’s girlfriend, and it is believed that Coulibaly may have shared a mentor with Cherif Kouachi, explaining the link between the two situations.

It seems very clear that these two incidents are linked, according to the AP:

A police official told the Associated Press the gunman is threatening to kill hostages if authorities launch an assault on the small printing warehouse northeast of the citywhere the two brothers suspected in the shooting on Charlie Hebdo are holed up in the second hostage standoff in France on Friday.

In response to these two separate hostage situations, the police moved  to save the hostages. At the same time, they attacked, sending in explosives. Le Monde and Reuters are reporting that the Kouachi brothers are dead, although that is not confirmed, and the status of the hostages are unknown. There are also reports from the grocery store that the “hostage-taker,” presumably Coulibaly, is also dead, although Boumeddiene’s status appears to be unknown.

The status of the hostages from both standoffs appear to be unknown as well, although there are reports of emergency vehicles arriving at the scene of the market.

Update: 3:40 PM: The hostage situation in Montpellier does not appear to be related to the earlier situations in Paris, but rather a robbery gone wrong. Montpellier Prosecutor Christophe Barrett has confirmed that this is a wholly separate situation, and it’s under control.

Meanwhile, French cops continue their search for Hayat Boumeddiene, the Kosher market hostage-taker’s accomplice.

Update: 1:30 PM: There are currently reports of a hostage situation in a jewelry store in Montpellier, France. Montpellier is located in the south of France. There’s no word yet if there’s any connection to the terrorist attacks or earlier hostage situations in Paris and northeast of Paris that ended with the hostage takers killed earlier today. However, there are believed to be two people held in the jewelry store.

Update: 12:28 PM: Multiple news sources are now reporting that at least four of the hostages taken at the supermarket are dead. Two cops are also being reported as injured. In addition, some reports are saying that Hayat Boumeddiene escaped the supermarket, although that remains unconfirmed.

Anneliese Mahoney
Anneliese Mahoney
Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.
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