Paris shootings: Six hostages are held as gunman storms kosher supermarket

 
Bystanders and police take cover at the scene of the grocery shooting Picture: France 2 TV

A gunman stormed a kosher supermarket and is holding six hostages in another shooting incident in Paris today.

A man armed with two assault rifles stormed the Hypercasher Vincennes shop in Porte de Vincennes in the east of the city, taking several people hostage.

The gunman, identified as Amedy Coulibaly, 32, is the same person wanted after a woman police officer was shot dead in southern Paris on Thursday, police said.

French media said he was demanding the release of Said Kouachi, 34, and his brother, Cherif, 33, who are involved in a siege near Charles de Gaulle airport as they flee police after the Charlie Hebdo massacre.

Paris shooting: members of the public are led from the scene of the siege by police (Getty)
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Heavily armed specialist officers were seen surrounding the building and shops in the surrounding area were ordered to close after shots were fired.

A witness told Le Monde: "People were doing their shopping, a man came in holding a weapon and he fired everywhere. Two seconds later I fled. The gunshots continued afterwards."

Another said: "I heard two bangs. At first I thought it was unloading a truck, but there was gunfire and the few passersby - there were not many - began running."

Scores of police and bystanders at the scene of the second shooting in Paris
AFP PHOTO / THOMAS SAMSON

Several people were said to have still been inside the shop and the cordon outside the shop was later widened.

Anti-terror operatives are in place at the scene in their vehicles. The immediate surroundings of the shop are completely closed off and businesses nearby have been ordered to close.

Hayat Boumeddiene, left, and Amedy Coulibaly were believed to be partners.
Rex

Police released an image of Coulibaly, who is believed to be involved in the attacks. Two people were arrested on Thursday after 27-year-old Clarissa Jean-Philippe was shot dead.

Police also released an image of a woman, Hayat Boumeddiene, who is the fourth person suspected of being involved in Thursday's killing.

A police officer with a shotgun takes aim at the scene of the siege in Porte de Vincennes
AFP PHOTO / THOMAS SAMSON

It is the third shooting in Paris in as many days as a wave of violence started when 12 people were gunned down at the office of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on Wendnesday.

One person was wounded in the shooting (Pic: Twitter)

Police were today involved in a hostage standoff with the Kouachi brothers after the massacre sparked an unprecedented manhunt.

The pair, who have been on the run for two days since 12 people were shot dead at the Paris offices of the satirical magazine, reached the design company just before 10am.

Watch a live stream of the incident below:

The shooting came as police sources said the man who gunned down 27-year-old Clarissa Jean-Philippe knew the brothers wanted over the Charlie Hebdo massacre.

Streets were cleared at the scene of the second shooting
AFP PHOTO / THOMAS SAMSON

The gunman is believed to have been a member of a Paris jihadist cell that recruited young French volunteers to fight U.S. forces in Iraq.

Cherif Kouachi served 18 months in prison for his role in the group.

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