Paris, France Hostage Situations: Charlie Hebdo Shooting Suspects, Kosher Supermarket Hostage Taker Reportedly Dead
Two hostage situations in France have ended with the hostage takers dead. The twin incidents, believed to be related, have held France and the world captive as the incident follows the massacre at the satirist magazine Charlie Hebdo and the subsequent killing of a police officer.
One incident, 20 miles outside Paris in the town of Dammartin-en-Goele, came to an end after police stormed the printing warehouse where two brothers had barricaded themselves, reports the BBC. The two men, identified as Cherif and Said Kouachi, were killed. They are believed to be the shooters who killed 12 on Wednesday when they opened fire at the offices of Charlie Hebdo magazine.
The Kouachi brothers reportedly came out shooting and were killed by police. The sole hostage they had has been freed.
A separate hostage situation at a Parisian Kosher supermarket in the Porte de Vincennes neighborhood in Paris also ended with police storming the establishment and freeing the hostages. According to France24, the man at the supermarket has been identified as the same man who shot a female police officer at Montrouge on Thursday. It is also believed the man is part of the same jihadi group to which the Kouachi brothers belonged. ABC News reports the shooter was Amedi Coulibaly, 32.
Though it was initially reported the hostage situation ended well, AFP reports on Twitter that four hostages are dead.
In addition, at least four are reportedly wounded.
USA Today adds police officers were also injured in the supermarket siege but did not provide specific numbers.
Coulibaly threatened to shoot hostages if police stormed the warehouse where the Kouachi brothers were.
Police also identified Coulibaly’s girlfriend, Hayat Boumediene, but her whereabouts and links to today’s incidents are unclear.
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