A man suspected of killing seven people in France has told police that he had taken action to avenge Palestinian children, Interior Minister Claude Gueant said Wednesday, dpa reported.
The 24-year-old is "talking a lot" with police, who have surrounded the house he is holed up in, Gueant told reporters at the scene in a quiet, leafy residential neighbourhood of the south-western city of Toulouse.
"He wanted to avenge Palestinian children," Gueant said.
The French national also told police negotiators that he spent time in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The operation, which has been under way since 3 am (0200GMT), has been tense at times with several volleys of gunfire heard by journalists and two policemen reported injured.