Not certain if besieged French shooter still alive: minister

French Interior Minister Claude Gueant said Thursday it was not clear if the besieged suspected shooter in Toulouse was still alive because police had "no contact" with him during the night.

The suspect, named by police as Mohamed Mehra and a self-proclaimed Al-Qaeda follower, said he wanted "to die weapons in hand," Gueant said on RTL radio.

"We have one priority: to take him alive so that he can surrender to face justice. We hope he is still alive," Gueant said, noting that it was "quite strange that he did not react" when police exploded a series of charges overnight to get his attention.

"We heard two shots, we don't know what they were," he added.

"Despite redoubled efforts throughout the night, there has been no contact with him," he said.