18 Workers Freed After 'Armed Robbery Gone Wrong' at Paris Primark Store

PARIS – Eighteen workers were freed by police after being held by armed robbers in northwestern Paris on Monday, officials said.

Elite special forces were called to the Primark clothing store in the Qwartz de Villeneuve-la-Garenne mall in the suburb of Hauts-de-Seine.

All 18 employees were released, a spokesman for the city government told NBC News. However, it was not immediately clear if the suspects had been detained.

"Right now it looks like an armed robbery gone wrong rather than a hostage-taking," police spokeswoman Magalie Charbonneau told NBC News.

AFP reported that one of the workers had locked themselves in a bathroom and contacted police by text message.

The incident comes as France is on heightened alert following terrorist attacks in January in which a dozen people were killed.