Hostages in Paris: Eighteen people held inside shopping center released; gunmen on the run

Paris, France: All hostages held by three gunmen inside a Primark outlet have reportedly been released. It is believe the incident happened after what appears to be a botched robbery attempt, according to the police. The gunmen – one of whom was thought to be a Primark employee – were still on the loose and believed to be inside the Qwartz mall in Villeneuve-la-Garenne just north of Paris. The hunt for all three is on, at the moment. [caption id=“attachment_2339834” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational Image. Reuters[/caption] “Around 6:30 am (0530 GMT), two or three armed criminals went into the Primark store located in the Qwartz shopping centre  for what we think was initially an attempt at armed robbery,” a police source, who wished to remain anonymous, said of the incident at Villeneuve-la-Garenne. “But we don’t know whether they are still there.” Another police source said an employee first alerted her boyfriend of the hold-up around 7 am when she sent him a text message saying they had been taken hostage by two armed men. Police had stopped all traffic in the area around the Qwartz mall where the Primark store is located, and all other shops in the vicinity have closed up. The mall was promptly evacuated but according to police, some 18 employees had remained inside, holed up in a canteen. It is as yet unclear whether they were taken there by the gunmen or whether they escaped on their own and hid there. They “were evacuated around 10:30 am, one of them was unwell but no-one was injured,” police said, adding security forces were still hunting for the gunmen. The armed men were caught entering the mall on CCTV cameras but have not been filmed leaving the premises, which indicates they are still inside. The attack comes a day before Bastille Day. AFP