A GROUP OF at least four people have been taken hostage by an armed individual in Toulouse, France.

A spokeswoman for the national police said the person seized the hostages at 4.20pm at a convenience store in the town of Blagnac, near the Toulouse airport.

Local media outlets are reporting that the store is a tobacco bar, and that a shot was fired at police, who have surrounded the store and evacuated the area.

The national police in the area of Haute-Garonne said that there is a “police operation underway on the port plan area in Blagnac”, and asked people to avoid the area and respect the security perimeter.

Local France 3 television says the hostage-taker has demanded to speak with a negotiator.

The spokesperson for the French police and a security official said it was too early to rule out terrorism without knowing the hostage-taker’s demands.

- with reporting from the Associated Press