Police in Paris search for gunman after attempted travel agency robbery

Police are searching for a gunman who tried to rob a travel agency in southern Paris, the mayor of the local district said on Friday.

Police initially believed the man had taken about half a dozen people hostage, but when they entered the property they found no trace of him, Jerome Coumet told reporters.

"There were two floors. The people on site were scared that the robber was still there, which was not the case. The police intervened and freed everybody," Coumet said.

The travel agency, which is used in particular by Asian customers who deal in cash, has been held up in the past, a police source said.