Armed assailants on Monday held at least 10 people hostage in a clothing store north of the French capital, media reports said.
According to police, the hostage-drama was on in an outlet of clothing retailer Primark at the Qwartz shopping centre in Villeneuve-la-Garenne, near Paris.
A police source said two or three gunmen entered the store around 6:30 a.m. for an attempted robbery, Xinhua news agency reported citing French daily "Le Figaro".
An employee of the shop "sent a text message around 7:00 a.m. to her boyfriend saying that they were held hostage by two gunmen", the source added.
"Le Parisien" daily said three men were involved, adding that one may have been recognised as a Primark employee.
