For a few moments, news out of northern France hinted toward yet another tragic, ugly act related to the most recent terror attacks in Paris.

Fortunately, for the disoriented European nation still in mourning, Europe and the West in general, local French police say the hostage situation in Roubaix was the product of a botched theft, and nothing more.

Unfortunately for the hostages … they’re still hostages.

This from Reuters:

“This is apparently not a terrorist attack, it’s apparently a robbery,” one police source said.

France remains on high alert after the Nov. 13 attacks in and around Paris in which 130 people were killed.