French children held hostage by sword-wielding teenager

"A group of children are being held hostage by a 17-year-old at a nursery school in eastern France, officials said.

The teenager, carrying at least one sword, initially took 20 children hostage at the kindergarten in Besancon at 9am (8am GMT) but released most of them about an hour later, officials said.

'Around 14 children have come out and at the moment there are five or six still inside,' Besancon's mayor, Jean-Louis Fousseret, told France Info radio.

The children being held are aged between four and five. Their teacher and a classroom assistant are also being held. An elite police unit has been sent from Strasbourg to deal with the incident."
 guardian.co.uk