Three dead as terrorist takes hostages in France

ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. Pic/AFP

At least three people were killed in a shooting spree and hostage siege in southern France by a man claiming allegiance to the Islamic State group, security sources said. Security forces killed the gunman - believed to be a Moroccan who was on a watchlist of suspected Islamic extremists - after he carried out three separate attacks in Carcassonne and nearby Trebes.

The man first hijacked a car in Carcassonne, killing a passenger and injuring the driver, before shooting a policeman nearby. He then drove to a supermarket in Trebes and holed up there for more than three hours with hostages, killing at least two people, according to sources.

After freeing his hostages, the gunman remained in the store with one policeman, who along with another officer was shot and injured when anti-terror forces swooped on the building. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for attack, its propaganda agency said.

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