Man claiming al-Qaeda link takes hostages in France

A man claiming to be a member of al-Qaeda has taken several hostages in a bank in the southwestern French city of Toulouse, a police union source said on Wednesday.

The source said the man had fired a shot and could be holding up to four people. The Interior Ministry was not immediately available to comment. In March, an al-Qaeda-inspired gunman shot dead three soldiers, a rabbi and three Jewish children in Toulouse.

The man was later shot dead by police after a standoff at his home in the city.