Explosions at siege of Jewish school gunman’s home

Three explosions were heard last night outside the home of the gunman wanted for shooting seven people dead.

Mohammed Merah, who killed three Jewish schoolchildren, a rabbi and three paratroopers, had said he would turn himself in at night “to be more discreet”.

However, after authorities turned off street lights surrounding his Toulouse apartment, three loud explosions were heard outside Merah’s flat. It was suggested the raid on the ground-floor dwelling had begun. Toulouse’s deputy mayor confirmed that the assault on the flat had begun. However, this was later disputed.

Three police were wounded as they tried to arrest the 24-year-old Frenchman of Algerian descent during a raid about 3am yesterday.

Prosecutors have said Merah was a self-taught radical Salafi who had been to Afghanistan and had trained in the Pakistani militant stronghold, Waziristan.

Claude Gueant, France’s interior minister, said Merah appeared to have acted alone, but also claimed to authorities that he met al-Qaida “chiefs” while in Pakistan last year.