Police confirm four dead in Paris market siege

At least four people, including the attacker, have died at a kosher grocery store in Paris where a gunman took several hostages, police officials said.

Earlier, the BBC reported that a woman who was held hostage while shopping in the store had told a relative by phone that there were more than two people killed there - in fact she had said there were five people dead.

Some hostages from the supermarket could be seen being led to safety.

It was not clear exactly how many hostages had been at the store or how many were freed.

Police officers were thought to be among those hurt, although their conditions were unclear.

Minutes earlier, French police stormed a printing plant north of Paris, freeing a hostage and killing two brothers linked to al Qaida who were suspected of murdering 12 people at a Paris newspaper two days ago.

Explosions and gunshots rang out and white smoke rose outside a printing plant in Dammartin-en-Goele, north east of Paris, where brothers Cherif Kouachi, 32, and Said Kouachi, 34, had holed up with a hostage.

Security forces had surrounded the building for most of the day. After the explosions, police Swat forces could be seen on the roof of the building and one police helicopter landed near it.

Minutes before the storming, a gunman in a Paris kosher grocery store had threatened to kill hostages if French authorities launched an assault on the two brothers, a police official said.

Police forces then stormed the Paris kosher grocery.

Police at supermarket siege in eastern Paris shout ``get down!'' and ``we've got him'' amid gunfire exchanges, BFM-TV reports.

Some hostages from the supermarket could be seen being led to safety. They walked hurriedly and with arms around each other as they made their way to safety.

French President Francois Hollande will address the nation at 7pm.

UPDATE AT 7.15:

An Israeli government official said 15 hostages were rescued from the kosher grocery.

The official, recounting a conversation between prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the French president, said four hostages were killed and 15 freed.

French president Francois Hollande, speaking shortly afterwards in a national address, confirmed the four deaths.