Eighteen people have been safely evacuated after an armed robbery attempt on a suburban clothing store in Paris.
The gunmen, who broke into the Primark store in the town of Villeneuve-la-Garenne, are still at large.
Police surrounded the shopping centre and cordoned off the neighbourhood, adjacent to the Seine River about 6 miles north of central Paris.
Police are hunting the attackers in the area.
The assailants entered the store at around 6.30am. Several people were already inside, primarily employees.
Officers from a special police unit entered the store, and a few officers emerged later accompanying women reported to be store employees, according to images broadcast on BFM television.
There was no immediate sign of a political or other motive for the robbery.
The Paris region remains on high alert after Islamic extremists attacked a kosher supermarket and satirical newspaper offices in January, leaving 20 people dead including the attackers.
