Gunman in Trèbes, France, Opens Fire and Takes Hostages Image A video still showing security officers outside a supermarket in Trèbes, in southwest France, where a gunman was thought to be holding hostages. Via #REUTERS March 23, 2018. PARIS — A gunman opened fire and took hostages at a supermarket in southwestern France on Friday, in what the prime minister called a “serious situation,” rattling nerves in a country that has been the site of several terrorist attacks in recent years. An armed man entered a Super U market in Trèbes, about 50 miles southeast of Toulouse, claiming to be acting on behalf of the Islamic State group, although his connection to the militant group was unclear. The Paris prosecutor’s office, which handles terrorism cases nationwide, said that a terrorism investigation had been opened, but it did not elaborate. “Shots were heard, a man appears to be holed up in a supermarket, probably with hostages,” Prime Minister Édouard Philippe said from the eastern city of ...