Police arrest second person linked to Trebes attack

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Police arrested a second person believed to be linked to the Trebes attack in France on Friday that led to the death of four people, a judicial source said on Saturday.

Another source said the man, a minor born in 2000, was a friend of the gunman, Redouane Lakdim.

A fourth person died after a siege in which a gunman fired shots and took hostages at a supermarket in Trebes, southwestern France on Friday.

Interior Minister Gerard Collomb announced in a tweet on Saturday that the latest victim is the policeman who had swapped places with a hostage.

Lieutenant Colonel Arnaud Beltram was hospitalized after he was shot by the gunman after making the swap.

Over 10 other people were wounded in the attack.

The gunman, a 25-year-old man named Radouane Lakdim, had convictions for carrying a banned weapon and drug use. He was shot dead by the police.

Police are seen at the scene of a hostage situation in a supermarket in Trebes, Aude, France, March 23, 2018. /Reuters Photo‍‍

Lakdim first killed one person while stealing a car in Carcassonne, a walled city with a medieval citadel that is one of France's top tourist attractions.

He pulled up in the car to four police officers who were jogging in the city and opened fire, hitting one in the shoulder, then sped off to Trebes, about 8km (5 miles) to the east, where he took hostages in the supermarket.

A security guard who later recounted the attack, said that the gunman was "a bad shot," as the gunman shot in his direction twice, but missed both times.

It is reported the gunman had asked for the release of Salah Abdeslam, the only surviving member of the 10 men responsible for the 2015 terror attacks across Paris, including the one at the Bataclan nightclub, that killed 130, according to Paris prosecutor Francois Molins, who is leading the investigation.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the incident was believed to be a terrorist attack and "a threat to all of our security."

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