Ex-soldier holds man hostage in school near Paris

A former soldier is holding the father of a pupil hostage at a school near Paris. An elite police unit has surrounded the school in Vitry-sur-Seine and is trying to negotiate with him.

Reuters/Stephane Mahe

The hostage is the parent of a pupil whom he was dropping off at the school which is being used as a leisure centre during the holidays, police said. The child was not taken hostage.

The hostage-taker, who is reported to be a former soldier in his 30s and armed, entered the Charles Perrault school at around 7.30am, taking several people hostage.

The man who is still held hostage arrived but enabled his son to escape along with two staff and two other children, while staying with the hostage-taker himself, according to Le Parisien newspaper.