PARIS -- A man apparently armed with a handgun was still holding two people hostage at a bank in the port city of Le Havre late Thursday despite having gradually freed another four, police said.
A special police intervention unit was negotiating with the 34-year-old hostage-taker for the captives' release nearly five hours after the start of the drama.
An official in France's national police said the man was known to have psychological problems. However, the official did not confirm French media reports that he had put forth confused demands. The official could not be identified by name, in keeping with French custom.
The hostage-taking at the bank in the city centre began shortly before 5 p.m. Police quickly blocked off the area.
The four people freed were uninjured.
Le Havre is a major port city on the English Channel coast.
