A group of Americans were among 19 tourists who were robbed by masked men armed with tear gas as they waited outside their hotel at Charles-de-Gaulle airport to the north of Paris.

The robbery took place outside the Novotel Hotel at Paris Charles-de-Gaulle airport on Saturday morning.

The thieves, hooded and dressed in black pulled up in several cars as the 19 tourists, who included four Americans, 12 French and three Moroccans were waiting for a shuttle bus to arrive.