Mohammed Merah the suspected Toulouse serial killer responsible for the murders of four people outside a Jewish school

A suspected gunman holed up in a flat in the French city of Toulouse is reportedly dead after police stormed the property to end a 30-hour siege.

Bursts of gunfire were heard at the scene of the stand-off between officers and Mohammed Merah, who allegedly killed seven people in three separate incidents over the past fortnight.

Three officers were hurt, including one seriously, in the assault, a police source told the AFP news agency.
Merah reportedly wanted to "die with weapons in his hands" and the building where he was besieged was surrounded by hundreds of police.

Police sources said officers were moving "step-by-step" through the ground floor property amid concerns it could be booby-trapped.

Three loud explosions were heard earlier outside the flat. They were caused by grenades used by officers to try to pressure him into giving himself up, sources said.
Video footage has emerged of Merah, 24, who was besieged in an apartment in Toulouse for a second day.

It had not been clear if he was still alive after officers had no contact with him during the night, said interior minister Claude Gueant.

Two stretchers were brought to the scene in the southwestern city and Sky News' reporter Mark Stone, who is there, said there was a flurry of movement by emergency services this morning.
A new police unit had been deployed, providing reinforcements for those already there, and an ambulance was now at the site.