This morning a man claiming to be a Al Qaeda militant has taken a number of people hostage in a bank in Toulouse. A shot has been fired but gendarmes do not yet know if any one is hurt. The neighbourhood around the bank has been cordoned off and it appears to be quite near to the home of Mohamed Merah, the militant killed in a stand off not many weeks ago. More on this story as it emerges what is happening.
In the few minutes since writing this it is now clear there are 4 hostages
3.30pm And the news is the 26 year old man is a schizophrenic who has stopped his treatment. He was set to rob the bank when it all went wrong. The Director of the bank and 3 employees are being held. A hostage negotiator is speaking to the gunman at the moment says a Police Union spokesman.
