Moroccan Man Holds Hostages for 4 Hours, Makes Odd Demands

6/13/2018
Updated:
6/13/2018

Police rescued two hostages and arrested a man at a small business in central Paris on Tuesday.–

The man held them hostage for four hours. He demanded to be put in touch with the Iranian Embassy to deliver a message to the French government, authorities said.

He’s a 26-year-old man from Morocco, but not yet know if he has French nationality. A judicial official from the Paris prosecutor’s office said he is being investigated on kidnapping and sequestration, attempted homicide, and violence without a weapon, AP reported.
The man poured gasoline on two hostages. One of the hostages was hit and later escaped, a pregnant woman was also able to escape, the Independent reported.

He also claimed to have an accomplice waiting outside the building equipped with a bomb said Yves Lefebvre, a police union official.

The police said that there was no indication of terrorist motive.

Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said that the individual has been arrested and the hostages are out of danger, on Twitter.

“His demands were really vague and incoherent,” said an interior ministry official. “The negotiator had difficulty understanding.”

Reuters contributed to this report.

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