the entrenched man arrested, the four hostages released

Intervention completed. A man “addict” et “suicidal”, armed with a knife and who had holed up for three hours with employees in his parents’ pizzeria in Issy-les-Moulineaux this Saturday, November 16, was arrested, and his hostages released. The four employees of this pizzeria located a few meters from the Paris ring road were released by the police shortly before 4 p.m., a police source told AFP.

“The intervention is over”there is no “no injuries”said this source.

This man “with a drug addict profile” according to a source close to the case, had locked himself in his parents’ restaurant, located a few meters from the Paris ring road, shortly before 1 p.m. According to the police source, he had already “committed similar acts” at home in 2022 “with threat” of « suicide » .

There was neither “clientele nor public” in the restaurant with him. Shortly after the arrival of the police, an AFPTV journalist saw the parents of the entrenched man, two visibly upset sixty-year-olds, hand them the keys to the restaurant.

Personnel from the BRI (Research and Intervention Brigade, an elite unit of the Paris police) were quickly deployed on site, including a mediator, “committed due to the person concerned’s desire to commit suicide”indicated the police source. Negotiations were carried out before the police intervened.

The man, aged around 35-40 years old according to a source close to the case, is also not known to the courts.

“He had already lost his temper”

The police had installed red and white tape to block access to a large perimeter, and asked the many curious residents of neighboring buildings to move away from their windows. According to AFP journalists on site, the iron curtain of the pizzeria with its bright red storefront was down. And in the surrounding area, several neighboring restaurants were also closed.

“I see him every evening in passing, he’s not well. He has a drug problem I think”said Anthony, a 23-year-old student, who preferred not to give his last name. “They have a good reputation, except him. He had already lost his temper a few years ago, it’s sad”a manager of another pizzeria in the neighborhood seems to sympathize.

In the street a lot of police officers were visible, some wearing helmets and armed, as well as numerous police cars and fire trucks. Around twenty agents, orange armbands on their arms, were seen in front of the restaurant.

“Intervention in progress, let the security and emergency forces work”had written the police headquarters on “incident in progress”.