Paris hostages freed, suspect held

PARIS — A four-hour hostage standoff in central Paris ended with police moving in, arresting the suspect and freeing those held, France’s interior minister said late Tuesday.

“All the hostages are safe and sound,” Gerard Collomb said in a brief statement. At least two people had been held.

The identity of the male suspect — who reportedly asked to speak to the Iranian ambassador during negotiations — was not immediately known, and details of the arrest remained unclear.

There was no indication of an extremist motive, police said.

Dozens of police in riot gear, firefighters and rescue workers evacuated and blocked off the Rue des Petites Ecuries as negotiations took place. The hostages were held in a ground-floor office in a crowded neighbourhood.

There were at least three hostages at first, but one was reportedly freed shortly after the drama began at about 4 p.m., police union official Yves Lefebvre said.

Police never described the hostage taker’s demands.

—AP Police in riot gear surround the entrance of a building in Paris where a man is believed to be holding hostages.