The man “has locked himself in his room at the Ibis hotel in Montceau-les-Mines this Tuesday since 11 a.m.,” said the prefecture. “As a precaution, the hotel has been evacuated of all guests and staff.” According to a source familiar with the matter, the armed man is a soldier who did not want to join his battalion.
An armed maniac, who had taken refuge alone on Friday morning in a hotel room in Montceau-les-Mines (Saône-et-Loire), killed himself despite several hours of negotiations with the police, indicated the prefecture. The man “has locked himself in his room at the Ibis hotel in Montceau-les-Mines this Tuesday since 11 a.m.,” the prefecture said in a statement. “As a precaution, the hotel has been evacuated of all its customers and staff,” the same source added. According to a source familiar with the matter, the armed man is a soldier who did not want to join his battalion.
Open investigation
Arrived on the spot at 12:30 p.m., the negotiators of the Raid, intervention unit of the national police, established contact by SMS with the individual. The exchanges lasted more than two hours and, around 3:30 p.m., the madman gave his oral agreement to lay down his weapon and surrender, according to the prefecture. But, at the same time, “an explosion was heard” and the man was found dead in his room, the same source said.
Since 11 a.m. this morning, an individual had taken refuge with a weapon in a room at the Ibis hotel in Montceau-les-Mines. As a security measure, the police and gendarmerie evacuated the customers and staff of the hotel and closed access to the surrounding area. 1/7 pic.twitter.com/qqgABStnYF
– Prefect of Saône-et-Loire (@Prefet71) August 23, 2022
A judicial inquiry, placed under the authority of the prosecutor of Chalon-sur-Saône (Saône-et-Loire), will be opened, adds the prefecture without further details.