Gunman on the run in Paris, After Seven Hostages Were Freed by Police From an armed assailant..

Seven hostages were tonight held by an armed assailant inside a travel agency in Paris. Anti-terrorist police were among those who surrounded the business in the 13th arrondissement of the French capital. Authorities say a gunman is still on the loose, but hostages have now been freed.

A man brandishing a gun was seen running into the Asieland agency soon after 6.30pm, and is believed to have been attempting a robbery. Police initially believed the man had taken about half a dozen people hostage, but when they entered the property they found no trace of him, mayor Jerome Coumet told reporters.'There were two floors. The people on site were scared that the robber was still there, which was not the case. The police intervened and freed everybody,' Coumet said. A security ring was set up around the agency. It was confirmed at 9pm local time that the hostages had been released, but the gunman was still at large.

A spokesman for the Paris prefecture said, 'A search is underway to try and find the man involved.' Police tweeted, 'Armed robbery on Massena Boulevard in Paris: operation over. Six people have left. The thief is not on the premises.' Sources said seven hostages had been 'found safe and sound' after the hold-up at the southern Paris travel agency.  French police say they are asking drivers to bypass a southern district of Paris. Police said the robbery happened on Boulevard Massena, in the southern 13th district of the French capital. France is currently under an official state of emergency following a series of terror attacks which have seen Islamic State and al-Qaeda killers striking in Paris.  A witness says she saw at least a dozen police cars blocking the boulevard.

Jerome Coumet, the mayor of the 13th arrondissement said: 'It was an attempt at an armed robbery that went wrong. 'The police intervened immediately. There are no reports of victims or any damage so far. The police are doing everything to bring the situation under control.' A spokesman for the Paris police prefecture said the man had made for the safe in the travel agency. It is popular with customers who deal in cash transactions, and has been robbed before.