The mayor of a small French town near the Belgian border was released Friday after being held at gunpoint for hours inside the town hall, regional authorities said according to The Associated Press. A man armed with a sawn-off shotgun released the mayor of Steenbecque, 76-year-old Claude Rahou, after holding him for about 5 1/2 hours, according to the central administration for France's Nord region. The man gave himself up peacefully. French Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie congratulated security forces on their handling of the incident.