Paris shootings: Charlie Hebdo attacked by gunmen claiming they are Al Qaeda
French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo attacked by masked gunmen • 12 dead including two policemen, one of Arab descent
Images show shooting of a police officer on site as masked gunmen ran off from the Charlie Hebdo offices; the massacre left 12 dead, with President Francois Hollande describing it an attack of exceptional barbarism. Below: Dead – French cartoonist of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo Georges Wolinski; cartoonist Jean Cabut, aka Cabu; newspaper publisher Charb; cartoonist Tignous
Firefighters prepare to transport an injured person away from the Charlie Hebdo offices
Bullet holes on the scene of the incident
The scene outside the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris
Stephane Charbonnier, known as Charb
George Wolinski, known as Wolinski
Bernard Verlhac, known as Tignous
Jean Cabut, known as Cabu
A special 'Shari'a' edition of Charlie Hebdo. The satirical newspaper took on all sacred cows.
France raised its security alert to its highest possible level today after a shooting at the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris by masked gunmen left 12 staff members of the satiricial magazine, dead.
Members of the French media are now being put under police protection, according to reports.
A police spokesman says the death toll has risen to 12 – 10 Charlie Hebdo staff and two policemen – with five seriously injured. One of the dead policeman has been identified as 'Ahmed', a 40-year-old of Arab descent.
According to Charlie Hebdo’s lawyer, four cartoonists were killed by the masked gunmen: Cabu, Wolinski, Tignous and Charb, the pen name of Stephane Charbonnier, also the chief editor at Charlie Hebdo.
Cartoonist Corine Rey, aka “Coco”, told the weekly Humanité that she was the one who, at gunpoint, let the men inside the building of Charlie Hebdo. “They shot Wolinski, Cabu… it lasted about five minutes… I took cover under a desk… they spoke perfect French… they said they were 'Al Qaeda',” Rey was quoted as saying.
Cédric Le Béchec, a 33-year-old estate agent who witnessed the attack on the satirical magazine, said the men told bystanders to inform the media that they were from the terror group.
He said that the men arrived in a black car, stopping in the middle of the street. One of them was carrying a rocket-propelled grenade. They were dressed in black military-style clothing.
Le Bechec said that before launching the assault, the attackers approached another man in the street saying, “Tell the media that this is Al Qaeda in the Yemen.”
The police arrived five minutes later after they left, following the assault on the magazine's offices.
French President Francois Hollande, speaking outside the offices, called the incident a "terrorist attack of exceptional barbarity".
A manhunt is under way for the killers, who escaped after a shootout in the street with police. According to reports, three officers had initially arrived on pushbikes, but left when they realised how heavily-armed the raiders were.
Rocco Contento, a spokesman for the Unité police union, told reporters that three attackers got into a getaway car driven by a fourth man on fleeing the building and drove to Port de Pantin in north-east Paris, where they abandoned the first car and hijacked a second – turning the driver out into the road.
He also said the Charlie Hebdo offices were guarded and protection increased in recent weeks because of fresh threats against the magazine, but the attackers had entered the building intending to kill.
Benoit Bringer, a journalist with Agence Premiere Ligne who saw the attack, told the iTele network he saw several masked men armed with machine guns. Another witness said that two black-hooded men entered the building with Kalashnikovs (guns).
The satirical weekly has courted controversy in the past with its take on news and current affairs, having been firebombed after publishing cartoons joking about Muslim leaders.
Its latest tweet was a cartoon of the Islamic State militant group leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, Leader of the Opposition Simon Busuttil and EU Commissioner Karmenu Vella tweeted their responses to the news, joining world leaders in condemning the attack and extending condolences.
Solidarity with the victims, families and people of #France -JM #CharlieHebdo #Malta
— Joseph Muscat (@JosephMuscat_JM) January 7, 2015Terror attack on #CharlieHebdo is sickening. We stand united with #France and will keep fighting against terrorism and for #FreedomOfSpeech.
— Simon Busuttil (@SimonBusuttil) January 7, 2015Atrocity at #CharlieHebdo will do nothing but reinforce our belief in a democratic society My thoughts are with the families #JeSuisCharlie
— Karmenu Vella (@KarmenuVella) January 7, 2015
