Hostage situation in French town of Roubaix ends

Armed men who took hostages on Tuesday in the northern French town of Roubaix appeared to have no link to the Nov. 13 attacks by Islamist militants in Paris but were probably planning a robbery, police sources said on Tuesday.

"This is apparently not a terrorist attack, it's apparently a robbery," one police source said.

Sources say the gunmen - two or three of them - were holding hostage the bank manager who worked for Crédit Municipal and his wife and possibly, children at their family home.

French media reported that the gunmen approached the bank manager and ordered him to open the safe at around 6.50pm on Tuesday.

Medical and fire services confirmed that an operation was underway in Roubaix, which is near the border with Belgium, without giving further details.

At 10pm, police announced that the hostage situation was over. Two had escaped an another were taken by emergency services.