He's still in there, they might just try to wait him out.

The stand off is now in its 16th hour. The shooter Merah is communicating with police through the door and says he will soon give up. He boasts of having "brought the French Republic to its knees" and swears hatred against Jews and the French military for its long presence in the war in Afghanistan. Two police were shot by him through his apartment door, one in the knee. Merah traded the police a .45 caliber revolver by throwing it out the window in exchange for a cell phone but they know he has other weapons. The entire building has been evacuated and Merah's mother and brother taken into custody. The newscaster said the government really wants to take him alive for questioning and therefore will let the stand off go on. The French government is getting heat from the press because of Merah's two previous trips abroad to Afghanistan and Pakistan and his involvement in a bombing in the Afghanistan conflict. Also, Merah's brother has been implicated in a network supporting Al Quaeda activities in Irag. The French secret service have had Merah under surveillance for quite some time but he's supposedly never come into contact with Jihadists while in France. The newscaster said that Merah's friends never suspected his Jihadist obsession but he did engage in unusual behavior, spending hour after hour watching movies at home that feature beheadings. Merah's identity was discovered by the shopkeeper who sold him a motorbike. Hr became suspicious of Merah when the latter visited his shop and asked how he could disable an anti-theft tracking device built into the scooter.

I would wager he's going to avoid being taken alive, because of his background, and can hold out for quite awhile longer since he probably anticipated the siege. Wonder if they turned of the water.

But if he anticipated it, he bought bottled water.

That itself has a psychological effect in circumstances as a diminishing supply. He's probably well past his initial adrenaline rush (unless he's hopped up) and so yeah this guy must really be a true believer.

I hope they catch him alive. Somehow I doubt he is a one man cell.

...placed on lone-wolf:

10.45pm: Toulouse's deputy mayor has confirmed that an assault has begun on the suspect's apartment, Reuters reports. It is not immediately clear whether the explosions are as a result of the police action or a response from the suspect.

10.39pm: Reuters is reporting that three blasts have been heard in Toulouse at the site where the suspected gunman is holed up.

Guardian Blog

*finger-cross* for the French police

10.59pm: The Guardian's Angelique Chrisafis, in Toulouse, says the the French rolling news channel iTele has quoted interior ministry sources that Merah could have changed his mind about surrendering. Merah had said earlier that he would hand himself over in the afternoon, and then in the evening, but neither had happened.

10.57pm: The explosions blew open the door of the apartment where the suspected gunman has been holed up since the early hours of the morning, a police source has told Reuters. "I confirm that the assault has started," he said.

Jean-Pierre Havrin, the deputy mayor of Toulouse, confirmed that negotiations had ended and the assault had begun.

From the Guardian Blog.

I haven't seen anything further on cable news yet. CNN went to Erin Burnett's show at the top of the hour, so I did what I always do--switched to MSNBC. Tweety covering politics--Etch A Sketch, Jeb endorsing Romney...

I switched to CNN because Rev. Al ended and now I can't pry my eyes away - the wealth - the aura!

I would guess the media is being kept far back and we won't get any more news until they've sorted through what they find.

On edit: Switched to MSNBC, oh man Chuck Todd is annoying.

During a kidnapping I got CNN to lay off in exchange for an exclusive. This one strikes even more as no tv allowed.

11.12pm: France 3 TV's Fabrice Valéry has tweeted that police have entered the suspected gunman's apartment.

-Guardian blog.

The apartment can't be that big. I get the impression we're dealing with an open area like a duplex.

I am gonna say it, will not shock me if they find a dead body with a round in his brains.

They said negotiations have stopped and the assault orders have been given but they think the three explosions were police efforts to scare Merah into giving up, although the police aren't giving details.

You are following this on Belgian tv. I am following this on Mexican online papers.

There is a problem in this.

You know, the "real" news...

Events I have ever seen.

You follow Reuters, another poster Belgian tv, and me Notimex. Somebody will get the real scoop.

...generally when they go, they go, use the element of surprise rather than try to wear them down. I remember following the Mumbai attack and once it had gotten into the 50-60 hour mark it became kinda interesting from an American perspective because we are used to SWAT either not going or going hard. Using explosives to intimidate is a new approach.

The only thing I can speculate is that this guy somehow has wired the place...

That is the only thing that half way makes sense.

The police unit is quite elite and they train in dynamic entry.

They said they found weapons in his car and that he had been planning new attacks. We could be looking at another day of stand-off at least if he's got food and water.

I still find this odd...it is a major story absorbing news services abroad...but mums the word on my tv.

From Reuters:

They were moves to intimidate the gunman who seems to have changed his mind and does not want to surrender. There is no assault.

As of 23.45.

He seems to be milking this for all its worth.

And for the moment we have several DU'ers monitoring several news services.

I find it ironic that save the Reuters wire, non is American.

Following through the Mexican press and AFP on the iPad.

Tweety is happy as a clam today. He loves this Etch A Sketch story.

Le Monde's Soren Seelow tweets that things have returned to calm, and that some sources suggest negotiations between the suspect and the police have resumed.

http://twitter.com/#!/soren_seelow

(Click the edit for dark humor)

12.54am:
A reporter from France's Le Monde newspaper has tweeted of more explosions at the scene. He says there have been three small blasts followed by a powerful detonation.

#Toulouse En quelques minutes, on a entendu trois petites détonations et une plus forte

— Soren Seelow (@soren_seelow) March 22, 2012

and the express order by Sarkozy that the assassin must be taken alive so that the families of the victims can get satisfaction in court when Merah is tried.

1.50am: Our news team have just updated our main news story on the situation in Toulouse.


1.45am:This is Warren Murray taking over from Barry Neald on our live blog of the Toulouse siege involving gunman Mohamed Merah.

1.36am: France24 has quoted AFP as saying that security forces with bulletproof vests have been taking positions around the building where Mohamed Merah remains holed up.


Oh and Mexican media has updated as well.

In order, AFP, Guardian, Mexico.

Methinks there is lag due to translation.

12.47am: Several gunshots have been heard in the area around the besieged apartment, according to France 3.

Guardian Blog

Cops are under orders to take him alive...it has to do with the elections. And it is from Zarkozy himself.

They seem to be quoting EFE. Take into account there s a little bad blood right now due to a criminal case in Mexico that made it to the supreme court this morning involving a French Citizen and the Viena treaty Offering this as context...

...given the length of the stand-off, not to mention whatever implications there might be for French intelligence (he was definitely on their radar).

And I got the sneaky he was not alone. His brother is in custody.

If he's down to just a room - this can't go on forever.

*finger-cross for peaceful resolution*

3.07am: Here's the front page from Friday's edition of Le Figaro, headlined: "Mohamed Merah. 23 years, terrorist, Islamist. 7 dead."

The editorial beneath is headlined: "The reality principle."

Le Parisien's front page is headlined: "Journey of a killer."

Sud Ouest's splash headline reflects the fact that there appears to be no escape for Merah, declaring simply that he has been "Neutralised".

All these papers use a screen grab of a smiling Merah from the video here that shows him sliding a silver BMW around in the dirt on some vacant land.

Here's the latest from Reuters:

1.38pm: According to Reuters reporter John Irish, quoted just now by the BBC:


Around 2.30 there was an exchange of fire. It wasn't very long, I think two shots on each side, and then about 20 minutes ago and that was even less. That was I think one shot.

1.33pm: There are various reports of more loud bangs outside Mohamed Merah's hideout.

France3 on its live blog says:

Just heard two shots, according to journalists present on site.
... while Le Monde reports:


The special correspondent of [TV station] BFM announces that a new big bang has been heard.

...that they're all still there and awake.

Per AP.

...and also a quick google check turns up no reports of any others. There is one other incident known as the Human Bomb incident when a psychotic took children hostage, but he was killed by French police with no other casualties. At least it's over, this has been certainly jarring to Europe and to Jewish people around the world. Kinda puts things in perspective for many...

And also look up my ex-girlfriend with French citizenship

By Elizabeth Flock

A photo has been released of three of the victims killed by a gunman at a Jewish school in Toulouse, France on Monday. Rabbi Jonathan Sandler (center) and his sons Ariel (far left) and Gabriel (far right) were killed in the attack. Here, they are shown holding hands with Jonathan’s wife and daughter, who survived.


('Hadrei Haredim’ - GETTY IMAGES)

WaPo Blog

Also, confirms he trained at Al Qaida camp in Afghanistan. Sarkoszy proposing new anti-terror laws to monitor internet and prison activities. He was arrested 10 times in his youth. Investigation into how he obtained weapons and if he had accomplices. It is 10:10 PM in France.

Per Dan Rivers.

So many things going badly for zarcozy.

Just a gut feeling.