French police arrest man after school siege

French authorities said the drama began early yesterday as parents dropped their children off at the complex, which includes nursery and elementary schools, in the commuter town of Vitry-sur-Seine.

French schools are now closed for the summer but still run activities.

Most hostages, who included children, were freed fairly quickly, police said, though one parent was held for several hours.

Shortly after releasing the last hostage, the man walked out, said Pierre Dartout, the prefect of the Val-de-Marne region.

Teams from the elite Raid police force had been negotiating with him before the arrest.

One police official said the man was carrying a gun; others said they did not know what weapon he had.

Little was known about the hostage-taker, but a judicial official said he was in his 30s, lived in Vitry and had no police record.

In late June, a man took four bank employees hostage in Toulouse. Authorities there said he appeared mentally ill and ranted disjointedly about religious motives. Mohamed Merah, was killed after a stand-off with the Raid police.