French anti-terror police say gunmen who held 18 hostages at Primark store have escaped and are on the run near Paris

  • Police surround shopping mall where 18 people were trapped by gunmen
  • Two or three gunmen entered the Primark store near Paris about 6.30am
  • A staff member raised the alarm by texting her boyfriend, it was claimed
  • The trapped workers have been freed without any injuries or deaths
  • But police are hunting the gunmen, who are thought to have escaped

By Corey Charlton and Peter Allen for MailOnline

Published: 03:28 EST, 13 July 2015 | Updated: 11:23 EST, 13 July 2015

Police are hunting a group of gunmen believed to be on the run near Paris after they held a group of workers hostage during an attempted robbery this morning.

After successfully rescuing 18 staff members who were trapped inside the building, police have turned their attention to tracking down the armed robbers.

The gunmen - one of whom was thought to be a Primark employee - were still on the loose this afternoon.

Although it was originally thought they were hidden inside the Qwartz mall in Villeneuve-la-Garenne, just north of Paris, it's now believed they have escaped.

It's believed the gunmen have escaped the area after earlier reports suggested they were hidden inside the shopping centre

It's believed the gunmen have escaped the area after earlier reports suggested they were hidden inside the shopping centre

Armed police surround the Qwartz shopping centre after several gunmen attempted to rob a Primark store

Armed police surround the Qwartz shopping centre after several gunmen attempted to rob a Primark store

The area was immediately cordoned off and all surrounding roads closed as 18 people were trapped inside

The area was immediately cordoned off and all surrounding roads closed as 18 people were trapped inside

The gunmen have now fled the store and a manhunt is underway following the early morning robbery

The gunmen have now fled the store and a manhunt is underway following the early morning robbery

Police said earlier two or three gunmen stormed the store soon after 6am as employees arrived for work in the Paris suburb just north of the city.

The area around the mall was shut down, all traffic stopped and other stores in the vicinity closed as special forces rushed to the scene.

The mall was promptly evacuated but according to police, some 18 employees had remained inside, holed up in a canteen.

It is not yet clear whether they were taken there by the gunmen or whether they escaped on their own and hid there.

However, they 'were evacuated around 10:30 am, one of them was unwell but no-one was injured,' police said, adding security forces were still hunting for the gunmen.

The armed men were caught entering the mall on CCTV cameras but have not been filmed leaving the premises.

Meanwhile, it's believed a staff member managed to raise the alarm by text messaging her boyfriend telling him she was being held hostage.

A supply worker told Le Parisien he saw people fleeing the mall in a panic.

He said: 'Everyone was running and screaming "they are armed, they are armed, we must get out".'

Officers at the scene said they were initially treating the incident as a ‘suspected armed robbery attempt’ but terrorism could not be ruled out. 

The Paris region remains on high alert for terrorist activity after Islamic extremists attacked a kosher supermarket and satirical newspaper offices in January, leaving 20 people dead including the attackers.

An armed police officer stands guard at the scene of the incident in Villeneuve-la-Garenne today

An armed police officer stands guard at the scene of the incident in Villeneuve-la-Garenne today

Two French police officers peer inside an empty warehouse as police work to find the gunmen

Two French police officers peer inside an empty warehouse as police work to find the gunmen

French police stand guard at the mall where all the stores have been closed amid a search for the gunmen

French police stand guard at the mall where all the stores have been closed amid a search for the gunmen

Police said they were treating the incident as a ‘suspected armed robbery attempt’ but terrorism could not be ruled out

Police said they were treating the incident as a ‘suspected armed robbery attempt’ but terrorism could not be ruled out

It's not yet clear if the 18 employees that were trapped inside the mall were taken by the gunmen or hid on their own accord

It's not yet clear if the 18 employees that were trapped inside the mall were taken by the gunmen or hid on their own accord

Officers at the scene said they were treating the incident as a 'suspected armed robbery' but could not rule out terrorism

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