Authorities have surrounded a supermarket south of Toulouse

The Associated Press

French authorities say a police operation is taking place in a small town in southern France after a police officer was shot and wounded.

A suspect has been surrounded at a supermarket in the town of Trebes, south of Toulouse, and might have taken hostages, national police said.

The French prime minister has described the situation as “very serious.”

There are unconfirmed media reports that the assailant claimed connections to Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The Paris prosecutor’s office said counterterrorism investigators are taking over the probe into the ongoing incident, but did not provide details on why.

Interior Minister spokesperson Frederic Delanouvelle told The Associated Press that there is one suspect and police are trying to subdue him. He provided no details of how many people were inside the supermarket or were believed held hostage.