Hostages safe in Paris armed robbery, thief on the run: police

Several people taken hostage today evening in a Paris travel agency were released safe and sound, police said, but the armed robber who seized them was on the run.
"Armed robbery on Massena Boulevard in Paris: operation over," police tweeted. "Six people have left. The thief is not on the premises."
Sources said seven hostages had been "found safe and sound" after the hold-up at the southern Paris travel agency.
Police sources had earlier told AFP that the robber was armed with a handgun and holding seven people.
Drivers had been warned to stay away from the area.
Police were positioned at the site and a security perimeter was established in the neighbourhood near the ring road around Paris.

The incident comes as fears over security remain high in France, following three major terrorist assaults over the last two years including the November 2015 Paris attacks which left 132 people dead.
The capital is under tight security, with troops patrolling the streets daily, under a state of emergency imposed by President Francois Hollande after the attacks.