Hostages Killed In Paris Supermarket Siege

At least four hostages and a jihadist gunman have been killed in a deadly Paris supermarket siege.

Commandos stormed the supermarket minutes after two brothers behind the slaughter at Charlie Hebdo magazine were killed at a second siege on the outskirts of Paris.

The special forces team raided the shop as the gunman began his evening prayer.

Six explosions were heard at the Jewish supermarket in Porte de Vincennes and several hostages were seen running, or being carried, from the store.

At least one of those being carried out was a small child. Fifteen hostages were freed alive.

It was initially hoped that all hostages in the shop had been saved - but it is now clear that a number died.

Others have been critically wounded, including a police officer.

Reports in the French media suggested that at least some of the hostages were killed before the raid.

Reports that a gunman may have escaped from the siege were dismissed as "unlikely" by officials.

The hostage-taker at the Paris store was linked to the killer brothers who were holding another hostage at a commercial building at Dammartin-en-Goele, near to Charles de Gaulle airport.

The supermarket gunman - named as Amedy Coulibaly - had threatened to kill the hostages if police moved in on the brothers at Dammartin.

He told a French TV station that he was a member of the Islamic State group and was in cahoots with the Charlie Hebdo killers who were his "officers".

In a telling detail, revealed by BFMTV, the supermarket attacker did not hang up the phone properly after talking to its reporters, allowing the police to overhear him.

And it was as he knelt to do his evening prayer that they stormed the building.

Sky's crime correspondent Martin Brunt said: "After news came through of the situation Dammartin there seemed to be a sense of urgency here.

"We heard four very quick explosions that lasted between them seven seconds I suspect."

There were another two explosions shortly afterwards.

Minutes later hostages were pictured being carried out, or running out, of the market - as sirens wailed across the city.

Sources reported that police managed to hack video surveillance at the market to keep a close eye on what was happening inside.

It is also understood that officers were secretly communicating by phone with one of the hostages.

It is understood that police may have managed to close down communication between the hostage-takers in the two sieges.

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In press conferences in Paris after the drama, France's president Francois Hollande and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve praised the bravery of police.

Mr Hollande said France had demonstrated, and would continue to demonstrate, that it was not frightened of terrorism.

"Long live the Republic and long live France," he said.

A police officer told Sky News that the siege began when a gunman went in the supermarket and started shooting immediately.

According to the AP news agency, which quoted a police source, the gunman said "You know who I am" as he opened fire inside.

About 100 students were placed under lockdown in schools nearby and the Paris ring road was closed.

Coulibaly, 32, was involved in the killing of a policewoman in Montrouge, southern Paris, on Thursday.

French police released mugshots of him and a female accomplice - Hayat Boumeddiene, 26. The whereabouts of Boumeddiene was unclear.

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