Incident Summary:

08/06/2020: An assailant held six people hostage in a bank in Le Havre, Normandy, France. Five hostages were released, and the sixth hostage was rescued when the assailant was arrested after six hours. No group claimed responsibility for the incident; however, the assailant expressed support for the Palestinian cause and wore a green-colored flag over during the attack. Authorities suspected that the assailant had "Islamist sympathies."

GTD ID:
202008060016

When:
2020-08-06

Country:
France

Region:
Western Europe

Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:

Normandy

City:
Le Havre

Location Details:
The incident occurred in Seine-Maritime district.

Attack Information
Type of Attack (more) Hostage Taking (Barricade Incident)
Successful Attack? (more) Yes
Target Information (more)
Target Type: Business
Name of Entity Unknown
Specific Description Bank
Nationality of Target France
Additional Information
Hostages Yes
Number of Hostages 6
US Hostages 0
Hours of Kidnapping 6
Outcome Combination
Ransom No
Property Damage No
Weapon Information
Type Sub-type
Firearms Handgun
Additional Information
Suicide Attack?No
Part of Multiple Incident?No
Criterion 1 (more) Yes
Criterion 2 (more) Yes
Criterion 3 (more) Yes
Doubt Terrorism Proper (more) No
Additional Information Five of the hostages escaped after the initial abduction. The final hostage was rescued when the assailant was apprehended. The suspect had previously been institutionalized after taking hostages at another bank to demand better living conditions for himself and his son.
Perpetrator Group Information
Group Name Claimed Responsibility
Palestinian Extremists Yes (Confirmed: Unknown; Mode: Personal claim)
Perpetrator Statistics
Number of Perpetrators 1
Number of Captured Perpetrators 0
Casualty Information
Total Number of Casualties 0 Fatalities / 0 Injured
Total Number of Fatalities 0
Number of U.S. Fatalities 0
Number of Perpetrator Fatalities 0
Total Number of Injured 0
Number of U.S. Injured 0
Number of Perpetrators Injured 0
Sources
"Assailant seizes hostages in northern France - police source," Reuters Africa, August 6, 2020.
"Six hostages taken in Le Havre incident - police source," Reuters India, August 6, 2020.
"Assailant seizes hostages in northern France: police source," WHTC.com, August 6, 2020.