Hostages held' in France Toulouse bank incident

Four people have been taken hostage in a bank in the French city of Toulouse by a man claiming to be linked to al-Qaeda, police say.

The man fired a shot and demanded to speak to the elite police unit which shot Islamist gunman Mohamed Merah.

Merah, who claimed to have al-Qaeda training, killed seven people in Toulouse in March before he was shot dead by police.

The director of the bank, a branch of CIC, is said to be among the hostages.

The regional newspaper Ouest-France says the area around the bank has been sealed off by the security forces.

"We do not know if his claim about al-Qaeda is serious or a fantasy," a police union source told Ouest France newspaper.

Аз не знам сега с какво се отличавате от ония, дето си бяха наслагали турските аватари преди време, ма тогава серяхте срещу тях...