Europe News
Youth takes hostages at French kindergarten (1st Lead)
Dec 13, 2010, 10:38 GMT
Paris - A 17-year-old youth wielding two sabres took several young children hostage at a kindergarten in Besancon on Monday morning, television reports said, citing eyewitnesses.
A large police contingent was at the scene and a special police unit was on its way to the kindergarten, officials said.
The reports said the teenager was carrying two sabres when he stormed into the Charles Fourier kindergarten at 8.30 am (0730 GMT).
There was no information about his motives, but the youth was known to be emotionally unstable.
After police established telephone contact with the youth, he let around a dozen children free. But he was still holding five or six children aged 4 to 6 years and their teacher.
Education Minister Luc Chatel was travelling to Besancon, some 250 kilometres south-east of Paris, to be on hand in dealing with the situation.
Read more about France Crime
