French police saved a woman and her two children, including a one year old baby, from three armed men who took them hostage in the northern French town of Roubaix on Tuesday. One of the gunmen died in a police operation.

According to officials, the three were taken hostage for several hours until the police freed them. It has been confirmed by the local officials that the situation is not connected with the terror attacks in Paris and is rather a case of an attempted robbery.

"This is apparently not a terrorist attack, it's apparently a robbery," the Reuters quoted a police source as saying.

The incident triggered off high alert as it followed the killings in Paris that left 130 dead. The Tuesday’s incident took place near France’s border with Belgium, where security has been increased heavily following the Paris attacks while the police in both France and Belgium hunt for those behind it.

According to a local newspaper, La Voix Du Nord, the gunmen took shelter in a petrol station after they were intercepted at a security checkpoint and exchanged heavy gunfire with the police. The local authorities have confirmed that the hostages are now taken to a safe place and at least one man has been arrested.

The incident took place at 7 p.m. local time when the gunmen carrying automatic weapons approached a manager at the Crédit Municipal bank and asked him to open the safe. It is not clear whether the manager had managed to alert the police or they were just patrolling the area, but a heavy fire broke out between the two groups after the police found out.

The gunmen holed up in a house in a residential area after they were chased by the police. A 50-member armed rapid response team carried out the rest of the mission and rescued the hostages. According to Lille public prosecutor Frédéric Fèvre, two or three gunmen have managed to escape.

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