Gunman arrested at French bank in Toulouse,

Gunman arrested at French bank in Toulouse,

A gunman claiming to be a member of Al Qaeda has been arrested at a bank in Toulouse, southern France, after a hostage-taking incident. All his hostages are safe.Police say the gunman entered a branch of CIC bank on Wednesday morning. After firing one shot, he took 4 people hostage. One of them was the bank manager.The gunman later released two female hostages, but rejected a call by police to surrender.

Seven hours later, police raided the bank and apprehended the man. He told them that he staged the hostage-taking for religious reasons and not to rob the bank.

In March, a gunman of Algerian-descent inspired by Al Qaeda shot dead 7 people, including Jewish children, in the same area. The man was later shot dead by police commandos after a stand-off at his home.