An attack has taken place in Trèbes, France, this morning, with at one already dead with an unconfirmed report suggesting another individual had died. One is believed to be injured. One of the deceased was a butcher at the store where the attack took place, while the other was believed to be a customer.
The incident occurred when a lone gunman, who is claiming to have affiliations with ISIS, rounded up approximately eight hostages in a Super U shop. He has since released some of the people who were trapped inside, and is now believed to be alone on the premises with a police officer.
Though an official death toll has not yet been confirmed, sources are saying that there have been at least two fatalities as a result of the attack.
For a short while, officers were unaware of how many people had been killed, as the gunman was making it impossible for medical services to get access to the victims.
"We unfortunately presume one person has been killed, but we cannot bring a doctor on site to check," said Jean-Valery Lettermann, the regional police chief. Since then, however, a second person has succumbed to their injuries.
Earlier this morning, the attacker fired six shots at police officers. One of them took a bullet to the shoulder, but his injuries are not said to be life-threatening.
After that, he took over the supermarket.
Fortunately, at least 20 people were able to flee as the siege began.
According to Associated Press, French counterterrorism prosecutors have begun an investigation into the original shooting of the police officer, and the Paris prosecutor's office are taking over the probe into the subsequent hostage situation at the supermarket.
Though the gunman is claiming to have affiliations with the Islamic State group, this has not yet been confirmed.
"Interior Minister spokesman Frederic Delanouvelle told The Associated Press that there is one suspect and police are trying to subdue him. He provided no details of how many people were inside the supermarket or were believed held hostage," the Independent reported.
Armed police and helicopters are now on the scene, and a nearby airport has been closed as a safety precaution.
The Prime Minister, Edouard Philippe, has described the situation as "very serious".
Over the past few years, France has suffered a number of terrorist attacks. In January 2015, 17 people were killed and a further 22 were injured when various attackers carried out mass shootings and hostage takings as a response to some material published in the satirical Charlie Hebdo magazine.
In November that same year, 130 people were slain and more than 360 were seriously injured at several different locations in a speight of mass shootings and bombings. Most notably, 90 people were murdered at the Bataclan music venue while a concert was on. It was the deadliest terror attack in French history.
Then, in July 2016, 86 people were killed and over 400 injured when a cargo truck drove into crowds that had been celebrating Bastille Day.
Our thoughts are with the victims and their families in this most recent attack, and we hope the situation will be resolved as peacefully as possible very soon.
