Anti-terror raids are being staged across the EU. Charlie Hebdo’s first post-attack edition, carrying a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed on its cover, is triggering widespread protests from Muslims, and threats of violence from radical Islamists.
23 January 2015
A Japanese publisher, Akira Kitagawa, plans to release a book featuring the controversial Charlie Hebdo cartoons ridiculing the Muslim Prophet Mohammed on February 10, Asahi Shimbun reported. The book titled “Islam Fushi Ka, Hate Ka” (Islam satire or hate), will contain about 43 satirical sketches from Europe and the United States, according to the publishing company’s president, Dai San Shokan.
“Without seeing the cartoons themselves, we cannot debate why such portrayals are received with aversion. All we can do is take any criticism of the book in stride,” he said.
A Japanese publisher, Akira Kitagawa, plans to release a book featuring the controversial Charlie Hebdo cartoons ridiculing the Muslim Prophet Mohammed on February 10, Asahi Shimbun reported. The book titled “Islam Fushi Ka, Hate Ka” (Islam satire or hate), will contain about 43 satirical sketches from Europe and the United States, according to the publishing company’s president, Dai San Shokan.
“Without seeing the cartoons themselves, we cannot debate why such portrayals are received with aversion. All we can do is take any criticism of the book in stride,” he said.
France has called on the UN to set up an international legal framework for monitoring social networks for extremist content and hate speech.
“There are hate videos [online], calls for death, propaganda that has not been responded to, and we need to respond,” French State Secretary for European Affairs Harlem Desir told reporters during the first ever General Assembly meeting on combatting anti-Semitism on Thursday.
Desir lambasted social networks, including Facebook and Twitter, for failing to take responsibility for “racist or anti-Semitic” content posted on their platforms.
“[Those who propagate] terrorism, religious fanaticism, jihadism and radical Islam use the internet widely,” he said. "We must limit the dissemination of these messages.”
As a way to crackdown on extremism, Desir suggested establishing a set of procedures that would “place the responsibility on those who are passing the message, even if they are not deciding the message.”
France’s top legal body has moved to strip a French-Moroccan man convicted of extremism of his French nationality . The Constitutional Council declared on Friday that the fight against extremism justifies the ruling against Ahmed Sahnouni.
Sahnouni, convicted in May 2013, is currently serving a sentence for “association with criminals in relation to a terrorist plot.”
The council’s decision will set a precedent for future cases.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Manuel Valls said that removing a person’s nationality is a “legitimate” response if the person plans to “attack the nation to which they belong.”
22 January 2015
France has announced new measures aimed at helping schools combat radical Islam, racism and anti-Semitism, Reuters reports.
More attention will be devoted to France's secular tradition and teachers will be specifically trained for that purpose. December 9 will be marked as a "Day of Secularism."
"Secularism must be applied everywhere, because that is how everyone will be able to live in peace with each other," Prime Minister Manuel Valls said earlier this week.
The new measures have among other things been inspired by the refusal of students at dozens of French schools to join a January 8 nationwide minute of silence for the victims of the Charlie Hebdo attack.
A number of French families who happen to have the same surname as the Paris terrorists – Kouachi and Coulibaly – have been harassed, with some receiving death threats and insulting calls in the middle of the night.
"I say it over and over again, my husband's name is Amedy Coulibaly, like the terrorist's, but we do not know him, we are not from the same family," a woman told Le Figaro. "We have nothing to do with him."
Another housewife in Indre-et-Loire department in west-central France said her children were harassed at school.
"Yes, we've got the same name as the Kouachi brothers, but that's all, we have nothing to do with them,” she complained. “Others began to insult them, they treated my son like a terrorist in high school, the same happened to my daughter in middle school. It's been tough for us ever since. At some point we even thought of changing our last name."
Police in North Rhine-Westphalia arrested two alleged members of the Islamic State extremist group, suspected of masterminding a terrorist act in Germany, the DPA news agency reports.
The arrested men are German citizens – Mustafa C., 26, and Sebastian B., 27. They were reportedly trained at a militant camp in Syria.
The prosecutor general, who ordered the arrests, said both men were “strongly suspected of undergoing combat training for the militant jihad.”
No details on the attacks they were allegedly planning have been provided.
Around 100 people have rallied near the French embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, against the publishers of Charlie Hebdo, AP reports. The protesters accused the French satirical magazine of blasphemy. They were chanting “We love Muhammed” and carried banners with red hearts and the name of the Prophet.
Protest organizer Abdul Saboor Fakheri says the demonstrators want the French Embassy closed and the ambassador expelled.
Afghans rallied in front of the French embassy in Kabul ag the republication of blasphemous cartoons by #CharlieHebdopic.twitter.com/jLw2cHk0tL
— Nasrat Samimi (@NasratSamimi) January 22, 2015
Amedy Coulibaly, the extremist, who killed a policewoman and four Jewish people in a kosher supermarket, will be buried in France, government spokesman Stéphane Le Foll told radio Europe 1.
The man’s body was initially supposed to be transported to Mali in accordance with his relatives’ wish. But Malian authorities refused to accept Coulibaly’s remains, Thursday’s Le Parisien reports. No reasons for the refusal have been given.
21 January 2015
France will in the next three years create 2,680 extra anti-terror staff, as over 3,000 radical Islamists require surveillance, Prime Minister Manuel Valls announced, revealing a new plan to boost terror strategies.
The PM said the plan would cost €425 million.
€425mn anti-terror plan: France to hire thousands of extra police, spies & investigators http://t.co/usByqXCIAXpic.twitter.com/4n3cRIQ1a6
— RT (@RT_com) January 21, 2015
“The number of radicals in the country is constantly growing. French intelligence needs to conduct surveillance on over 3,000 radical Islamists. In particular, 450 people who have previously participated in fighting in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Yemen, and at the moment are taking part in sending volunteers to Syria and Iraq - they account for about 1,300 people,” Valls said as cited by TASS news agency.
BREAKING: #AlShabaab leadership praises #CharlieHebdo attackers, encourages all Muslims in Europe to "follow in their footsteps" - Statement
— Live From Mogadishu (@Daudoo) January 21, 2015
Belgian law enforcers have detained a fifth suspect in connection with an alleged terror plot to mount a major attack on the police, according to the federal prosecutor’s office, AP reports.
The EU faces a “huge challenge” in reassuring Jews they have a secure future in Europe after the Islamist attacks in Paris, the European Commission’s vice president said on Wednesday.He said the EU was determined to respond in keeping with its values of tolerance and inclusion, and that there would be a new strategy in place by May.
Belgian police have arrested a fourth person in part of an investigation into Islamist militants who are suspected of plotting attacks on the police, prosecutors said Wednesday. The Belgian national was named as Abdelmounaim H. and was charged with taking part in the activities of a terrorist group. Belgian media said the man had turned himself in.
After a week of discussions in the wake of the Paris attacks, the Austrian government has unveiled a plan to spend up to €290 million to fight terrorism over the next four years. The largest part - €126 million - will be used to hire new personnel, including specialists in cyber security, crime fighting and forensics, according to a report from the Austrian Press Agency (APA), the Local reported.
#Austria's broke police force got much needed 300M Euro extra to fight terror. She decided she wants some helicopters pic.twitter.com/QOQvvNx5kQ
— Volksbüro (@Volksburo) January 21, 2015
Chancellor Werner Faymann and Vice Chancellor Reinhold Mitterlehner told a press conference in Vienna that €29 million would go on specialized equipment, such as helmets, body armor and weapons, as well as five armored vehicles for special forces. The government also plans to invest in technology, with €34 million earmarked for special IT technology upgrades, such as the Schengen Information System database and evidence collection software.
Anti-terror sweeps and arrests in France, Holland, Germany Austria, UK, today #terror
— Noga Tarnopolsky (@NTarnopolsky) January 20, 2015
French authorities say five Russians of Chechen origin arrested in southern France had no established links to terrorism, Bezier’s Prosecutor Yvon Calvet told reporters. He said authorities have neither uncovered an attack plot, nor a connection to terrorism related to the latest arrests. According to the prosecutor, the arrests were also "outside a radical-religious context."
Lavrov has nothing to say abt Russians detained on suspicion of planning terror attacks in France yday. There is contact w Fr authorities.
— Tom Parfitt (@parfitt_tom) January 21, 2015
The gunman who killed four shoppers at a Paris kosher store on January 9 was stopped by a police patrol in a random check about a week before his deadly attack, French weekly Le Canard Enchaîné reported. Coulibaly and his partner, Hayat Boumeddiene, were stopped on December 30, driving a rental car in Paris. Coulibaly was reportedly driving without a license, having only just passed his driving test, so the car had been rented in Boumeddiene's name.
Paris gunman Amedy Coulibaly 'stopped by police' days before terror attacks
— Jonathan Johnson (@JJonny72) January 21, 2015
When the officers searched the database of wanted persons, Coulibaly’s name came up. The database reportedly described him as “dangerous and belonging to Islamist movements.” According to the Canard, the officers notified the police’s anti-terrorism unit but nothing happened. Hours later, Coulibaly and his partner successfully crossed the border into Spain, where Boumeddiene boarded a flight to Turkey. Turkish authorities said she entered Syria six days later.
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said the fight against terrorism in France will take time. “Terrorism has struck our soil in an unprecedented way… and the threat of terrorism remains high,” the minister told a press conference at the Elysée presidential palace in Paris, referring to a series of attacks, which took the lives of 17 people. He said the government would hire up to 2,600 new personnel and spend an additional €425 million over three years in a bid to fight terrorism.
4. France to create 2,680 new jobs & boost spending by $490m to bolster counter-terrorism efforts - Prime Minister Manuel Valls
— Alan Fisher (@AlanFisher) January 21, 2015
Four men with ties to one of the gunmen responsible for three days of terror in and around Paris are the first to be charged in connection with the attacks, a Paris prosecutor said on Wednesday. Francois Molins said that four men were handed preliminary charges of association with terrorism, and were jailed pending further investigation. They are suspected of providing logistical support to Amedy Coulibaly, who shot dead a policewoman on the outskirts of Paris and killed four hostages at a kosher supermarket.
France charges four men with helping Paris gunman Amedy Coulibaly. #CharlieHebdo
— Sanam Shantyaei (@sanamshantyaei) January 21, 2015
20 January 2015
French authorities honored Lassana Bathily, a Mali-born employee who saved lives at the kosher supermarket attacked by terrorists, as a hero and granted him French citizenship on Tuesday. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve praised the 24-year-old Muslim man for his "courage" and "heroism," saying Bathily's "act of humanity has become a symbol of an Islam of peace and tolerance."
The moment Lassana Bathily was granted French citizenship for saving all those people in the Kosher supermarket: pic.twitter.com/k1RJMeZHQD
— YELHSA (@ashrouen) January 21, 2015
Four men, aged 22, 25, 26 and 28, will appear before a judge on Tuesday to face possible charges of providing support to Amedy Coulibaly, one of the Paris Islamist attackers, the prosecutor’s office said. The four men were among 12 people detained in police raids a week after a series of attacks in and around Paris.
19 January 2015
Over 2,000 Iranians protested outside the French embassy in Tehran on Monday. Chanting "Death to France," they were calling for the ambassador to be expelled in response to a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed, published in the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. "The least I can do is protest against this insult, we condemn insults of the Prophet," a woman, participating in a peaceful two-hour protest, told AFP.
Laurent Sourisseau, 48, or Riss, who was also injured in Paris massacre, will be the next Charlie Hebdo director after he leaves hospital on Tuesday. Previously Sourisseau was a co-director, alongside Stephane Charbonnier. Gerard Biard is editor-in chief of the magazine, the next issue of which will be published in only two weeks, on February 4. The current issue will be sold up until then.
The Council of Arab Ambassadors in Paris denounced the caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed on Monday, TASS reported. The Council members said they were a provocation which sowed dissent at times when solidarity, openness and tolerance are in need. According to them, freedom of speech does not provide the right to insult the faith.
In Senegal, around 1,000 people have gathered to protest against the Prophet Mohammed cartoons, chanting “Allahu Akbar” and burning the French flag. Protesters also marched in Mauritania, Sudan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria, France 24 reports.
About 200 people have protested cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in front of the French Cultural Center in Gaza Strip, Le Figaro reported. Participants burned the French flag and threatened to commit attacks in France.
Five people were killed and 128 were wounded over the weekend in Niamey, the capital of Niger, during protests against the publication of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed, according to police. In total 45 churches, a Christian school and orphanage were torched, and five hotels and 36 liquor stores were destroyed.
45 churches were set on fire in #Niger during #CharlieHebdo protests http://t.co/yTD4xVrg0Spic.twitter.com/GSX6UJG1rs
— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) January 19, 2015
“They offended our Prophet Mohammad, that’s what we didn’t like,” said Amadou Abdoul Ouahab, a protester, Reuters reported.
A total of 189 people were detained. Five more were killed and 45 injured in the city of Zinder.
EU foreign ministers met Monday to discuss the growing Islamist militant threat and how to prevent EU citizens fighting with jihadist forces returning home from Syria and Iraq.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the Paris attacks "changed Europe and the world."
"Today, we must take stock... and discuss what we must do, including possibly increased exchanges with Muslim countries," he said.
British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said: "The Muslim countries of the world are the ones who have suffered the greatest burden of terrorism and they will continue to be in the frontlines.”
Muslims must help France combat terrorism, Marine Le Pen, the leader of France's far-right National Front, wrote in an Op-Ed article for the liberal US newspaper New York Times.
“France, land of human rights and freedoms, was attacked on its own soil by a totalitarian ideology: Islamic fundamentalism…Islamist terrorism is a cancer on Islam, and Muslims themselves must fight it at our side.”
Le Pen called for restrictions on immigration and as urged the government to withdraw French citizenship from jihadists.
“For now, one emergency measure can readily be put into action: Stripping jihadists of their French citizenship is an absolute necessity,” Le Pen wrote.
A suspected mastermind of the terrorist cell raided last week in Belgium still remains at large, Belgian Justice Minister Koen Geens told VRT television. The suspect was named as Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a 27-year-old Belgian of Moroccan origin. “Last night’s arrests did not succeed in nabbing the right person. We are still actively looking for him and I presume we will succeed,” Geens said.
18 January 2015
Italy has expelled nine suspected Islamists of Turkish, Tunisian, Egyptian, Moroccan, and Pakistani origin, and is ready to expel many others.
"There have been nine expulsions. I'm not stopping here and with regard to expulsions, we will continue to be extremely tough," Italian Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said on Sunday.
According to him, all of them had long-standing residence permits and two of them were going to Syria to join Islamic State militants. The minister added that the number of people under surveillance is much bigger than 100. Italy is stepping up cooperation with other European countries after the terror attacks in Paris.
About 5,000 people rallied in Lahore, eastern Pakistan, against French magazine Charlie Hebdo on Sunday. Hafiz Saeed, the leader of the banned organization Lashkar-e-Taiba, called for a boycott of French goods and for an international law against blasphemy, an offense that carries the death penalty in Pakistan.
"We will launch a movement against the insulting caricatures of our beloved prophet," Saeed said.
Lashkar-e-Taiba is famous for its attacks on India. The US has previously offered $10 million for information about Saeed's location, but he denies links to the militants.
Sunday's rally followed the protests in Karachi on Friday when the French consulate was stormed.
Forty-two percent of French people see Mohammed cartoons as offensive and 50 percent say they back "limitations on free speech online and on social networks," according to an Ifop poll, the results of which were published by Le Journal du Dimanche, a French weekly.
However, 57 percent supported the publication of the Mohammed cartoons, supporting “freedom of expression,” according to the survey.
German’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution is monitoring about 100 suspected terror cells in the country, Die Welt reported. The numbers of people in these cells range from 10 to 80. Their spectrum of activity ranges from fundraising for Islamists who have returned from hotbeds of jihadist fighting to online propaganda supporting extremists fighting in Syria and Iraq.
France’s embassy in Niger warned its citizens to stay indoors as violent anti-Charlie Hebdo protests swept the country.
"Be very cautious, avoid going out," the embassy said on its website.
Anti-#CharlieHebdo protesters march in Middle East, burn French flags (VIDEO) http://t.co/yY3EpPPNzSpic.twitter.com/FtIqhFmil4
— RT (@RT_com) January 17, 2015
Several people have been arrested over alleged ties with terrorism, Greece police said. A police official said the men were detained separately in Athens and included an individual who allegedly matched the description of a key terror suspect in Belgium.
Eight Christian churches were set on fire and ransacked in Niger, a former French colony, where the country’s Muslims are protesting against Charlie Hebdo’s satirical cartoons targeting Islam.
At least five people were killed in the protests, police sources said.
17 January 2015
Iranian authorities have banned the daily newspaper Mardom-e-Emrooz (Today's People) for publishing a story with a headline quoting George Clooney saying "I am Charlie Hebdo." According to chief editor Mohammad Ghoochani, the paper was closed because this kind of story allegedly shows support for French weekly Charlie Hebdo, Tasnim news agency reported. Earlier, the Islamic Republic condemned both Charlie Hebdo’s caricatures and the attack at its office in Paris.
One of the gunmen behind the Charlie Hebdo attack, Said Kouachi, was buried on Friday in the city of Reims, northeast France, local authorities said, Le Figaro reported. He was buried in an unmarked grave. The name of the cemetery hasn’t been revealed yet.
Said’s brother, Cherif Kouachi, will be buried in Gennevilliers, in the northwest suburbs of Paris.
The total number of copies of Charlie Hebdo latest issue will reach 7 million copies. At first the surviving journalists wanted to print 1 million copies but due to high demand the number was increased to 3 million and then 5 million copies. Apart from France, where Charlie Hebdo's sales were at record levels, the newspaper has become very popular in the whole of Europe, especially in Germany, where 55,000 copies were sold on the first day.
At least two churches were burned down in Niger as protesters came out for a second day to protest French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo for publishing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, AFP reports. The protest in the African country earlier claimed at least four people, as violent clashes erupted in front of a French cultural center on Friday.
More than 10,000 people rallied in Magas, the capital of the Russian southern republic of Ingushetia, to support Islam and protest cartoons insulting the Prophet Mohammed. The demonstration was aimed at demonstrating that Islam is a religion of peace and decry both the extremists aiming to hijack it for their own goals and the people deliberately insulting Muslims and their faith under a guise of protecting freedom of speech from the extremists.
A video posted by Муса (@musa_bariev) on Jan 17, 2015 at 12:49am PST
BREAKING: Protesters march to the #French embassy in #Yemen to protest against #CharlieHebdo caricatures.
— Ruptly Newsroom (@RuptlyNewsroom) January 17, 2015
French President Francois Hollande said that France had "principles, values, and notably freedom of expression" in response to protests against Charlie Hebdo magazine that were held in Niger and Pakistan.
"We have supported these countries in their fight against terrorism," he added.
Police have fired tear gas at demonstrators in Niger, who on Saturday continued their protest against satirical cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad published by French magazine Charlie Hebdo, AFP reports.
Amedy Coulibaly, one of the gunmen who killed a policewoman in Paris surburb and shot dead four hostages at a kosher grocery store, drove five people in Madrid, Spain to catch a plane to Turkey, a source told AFP.
"We think they travelled from Paris, going to Madrid-Barajas (airport), without stopping - Coulibaly, Hayat, the Belhoucine brothers, and Mohamed Belhoucine's wife and son."
Mehdi Sabry Belhoucine and his brother Mohamed, have already been convicted of terrorism related offenses.
Prosecutors in the French city of Avignon confirmed charging a 28-year-old man with "murder, attempted murder and possession of drugs" after he stabbed a Moroccan man, Mohamed El Makouli, to death inside his house.
The assailant rushed into the house of El Makouli in the village of Beaucet on Wednesday shouting "I am your god, I am your Islam" before stabbing the Morrocan man 17 times, the National Observatory Against Islamophobia said Friday.
"The Islamophobic aspect will be investigated when we interview this boy who claims to have heard voices," a spokesman said, according to AFP. Observatory president Abdallah Zekri condemned the assult as a “horrible Islamophobic attack."
More than 50 anti-Muslim incidents have been recorded by the Central Council of Muslims in France since the Charlie Hebdo attack.
16 January 2015
German authorities have received warnings of possible militant attacks at railway stations in Berlin and Dresden, security sources told Reuters. Dresden is considered the most vulnerable, due to anti-Islam marches in the city which often attract tens of thousands of people. An Interior Ministry official did not comment on this information, though he confirmed that security services receive a lot of data from different sources. According to him, not all protective measures are visible to the public. Earlier on Friday, after raiding 12 homes, police arrested two people suspected of recruiting fighters for Syria.
About 100 protesters carrying banners with the pictures of the Kouachi brothers and Osama bin Laden gathered on Friday in a conservative district of Istanbul in support of the gunmen who killed 12 people at the Charlie Hebdo HQ in Paris. The organizer of the rally was a group called the "Fraternal Platform of the Prophet's Companions." Police blocked the participants and prevented them from marching around Fatih mosque. "The day came when by Allah's hand two or three people punished and humiliated these infidels. Today, Western media and the infidels know that Muslims will take their revenge," the leader of the rally said, Naharnet reported.
The presence of radicalized Muslims across Europe and their network’s increasing sophistication, combined with its lack of organized structure, makes it extremely difficult for police and officials to track every possible terror attack, said Rob Wainwright, head of European Union police agency Europol.
“The scale of the problem, the diffuse nature of the network, the scale of the people involved makes this extremely difficult for even very well-functioning counterterrorist agencies such as we have in France to stop every attack,” AP reported him as saying.
Wainwright added that more than 2,500 and maybe even as many as 5,000 suspects have succeeded in entering Europe from war-torn countries such as Iraq and Syria.
Following raids across the country against an Islamist group, Belgian police have detained 13 individuals, while an additional two people sought in the investigation are being held in France, state prosecutors said, Reuters reported. The identities of two individuals killed during one of the raids, in the town of Verviers, had not been released. Prosecutor Eric Van Der Sypt told reporters was in the process of launching attacks in “a matter of hours” against police targets. A Belgian police spokesman told a news conference there was no apparent connection to last week's attacks in Paris and the raids in Belgium.
US Secretary of State John Kerry has visited the sites of the Paris shootings where 17 people were killed last week.
"My visit to France is basically to share a big hug for Paris and express the affection of the American people for France and for our friends there who have been through a terrible time," Kerry said ahead of the trip.
#SecKerry places wreath at kosher supermarket attacked by gunman in #Paris last week. pic.twitter.com/nus3SiHliJ
— Matt Lee (@APDiploWriter) January 16, 2015
Paris Gare de l’Est train station has been closed and evacuated after a bomb alert, French press reported. Traffic has been disrupted and approaches to the station have been closed.
Gare de l'Est fermée après une #alerte à la bombe. Les démineurs sont sur place. Le trafic est perturbé et les accès à la gare sont fermés.
— France Bleu 107.1 (@FBleu1071) January 16, 2015
Twelve people have been questioned Thursday night over the involvement in Paris shootings, Le Figaro reported a judicial source as saying. Nine men and three women were asked about "possible logistical support" such as guns or weapons to the gunmen involved in the Paris incidents. Police are searching houses in Montrouge commune in the southern Parisian suburbs where a gunman shot dead a female police officer on January 8.
The headquarters of the Lithuanian news website Delfi.lt was evacuated on Thursday after its editor-in-chief, Monika Garbaciauskaite-Budriene, received a letter warning her of a planned Charlie Hebdo-style attack.
The letter was handwritten in Russian, featuring a drawing of a grave with the editor’s first name and the phrase: “Allah is Great!” The envelope contained suspicious powder, Delfi.lt reported.
"Soon it will be like Paris," the letter read.
The return address on the letter's envelope was that of ex-presidential advisor Daiva Ulbinaite, who denied amy involvement.
It comes just over a week after the massacre at the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo saw 12 people shot dead by radical Islamist gunmen.
15 January 2015
Senegal’s government has banned the distribution of the latest editions of the satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo and the French newspaper Liberation, the Senegalese news agency APS reported. Both publications had a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed crying on their covers.
Malian who helped hostages at Jewish shop to get French nationality http://t.co/b1fcycPSq5pic.twitter.com/zgcBMiwDHt
— The Straits Times (@STcom) January 15, 2015
An investigation was launched into the Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet for its defiance in the face of the Charlie Hebdo public controversy, when it decided to publish exerpts from the new post-attack issue, NTV reports.
Spain's High Court is investigating the time the French gunman and his wife spent in Spain shortly before the atrocities in France.
A man detained in Belgium for arms dealings is being investigated over possible links to the jihadist gunmen behind last week’s Paris massacre, prosecutors said, according to Reuters.
The man handed himself over to police Tuesday, saying he had dealings with Amedy Coulibaly, the terrorist who killed a policewoman and four hostages at a kosher supermarket last Friday.
Police found evidence that the two were negotiating the sale of ammunition which could have been used in the attack.
"The man is being held by the judge in Charleroi on suspicion of arms dealing," a spokesman for Belgium's federal prosecution said, Reuters reported. "Further investigations will have to show whether there is a link with the events in Paris," he added.
France's cyber-defense chief has reported the number of government and business websites hacked by 'cyber-jihadists' in the wake of Charlie Hebdo has gone up to 19,000. Earlier the extremists promised to step up their efforts on January 15.
French Islamist gunman Amedy Coulibaly spent three days in Madrid before the Paris attacks, Barcelona-based daily newspaper La Vanguardia reported, AFP reported. It was known that his partner, Hayat Boumeddiene, had been in the Spanish capital before the attacks.
Spanish and French authorities are now investigating a possible terrorist support cell in the country. Some 70 Islamist fighters returned to Spain from Syria and Iraq in 2014, Spanish authorities say.
The Afghan Taliban have on Thursday joined the chorus of condemnation that some Muslims have been leveling at the French publication for its depiction of the Prophet Mohammed. A statement in English says the group "strongly condemns the repugnant and inhumane action and considers its perpetrators, those who allowdn it and its supporters (to be) the enemies of humanity."
A massive cyber-attack by Islamist hackers has struck 1,000 computers belonging to local government, businesses, universities and churches in France. The perpetrators defaced the pages with slogans such as “There is only one God, Allah”, “Death to France”, and “Death to Charlie,” among others.
This post-Charlie-Hebdo hacking operation was carried out by ‘cyber-jihadists’ from North Africa and Mauritania, according to experts speaking to AFP. The hackers have already claimed responsibility.
They promised to step up the attacks from January 15.
"For now it has been more cyber-vandalism than sophisticated, high-level attacks. We're not yet dealing with very structured groups," Francois Paget of security company McAfee says. He believes we may still see higher-profile attacks by the group.
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has condemned Turkish media outlets that published the Charlie Hebdo cartoon of Prophet Muhammad.
He said the right to free speech "does not mean [the] freedom to insult."
The January 14 edition earned 10 million euros for its creators and distributors, according to BFM TV. Also, over the last few days, the number of subscribers to the satirical magazine has soared from 7,000 to 120,000.
The first edition of Charlie Hebdo since the deadly attack on its offices had a record print run of 3 million copies, which sold out within an hour. An additional 2 million copies are set to be printed to satisfy the extra demand.
Renowned author Salman Rushdie has said that the right to free speech is absolute, or else it isn't free. His statement came after a speech at the University of Vermont in Burlington.
"The French satirical tradition has always been very pointed and very harsh, and still is, you know. The thing that I really resent is the way in which these, our dead comrades ... who died using the same implement that I use, which is a pen or pencil, have been almost immediately vilified and called racists and I don't know what else," Rushdie stressed.
"Both John F. Kennedy and Nelson Mandela use the same three-word phrase which in my mind says it all, which is, 'Freedom is Indivisible,'" he said. "You can't slice it up, otherwise it ceases to be freedom. You can dislike Charlie Hebdo.
... But the fact that you dislike them has nothing to do with their right to speak," he added, as quoted by AP.
Rushdie has lived under a death threat from Iranian top religious officials, following the 1988 release of his book "The Satanic Verses."
14 January 2015
Dozens of Muslim leaders have signed a letter released though the Muslim Council of Britain, urging restraint in the wake of Charlie Hebdo’s new cover depicting the Prophet Muhammad.
"Most Muslims will inevitably be hurt, offended and upset by the republication of the cartoons. But our reaction must be a reflection of the teachings of the gentle and merciful character of the Prophet,” the letter said.
"Enduring patience, tolerance, gentleness and mercy, as was the character of our beloved Prophet, is the best and immediate way to respond."
France's Justice Ministry said 54 people, including minors, have been arrested for defending or verbally threatening terrorism since last week’s Paris attacks, AFP reported Wednesday. Prosecutors around the country were ordered to crack down on hate speech, anti-Semitism and glorifying terrorism, and several of the arrested have already been convicted under special measures for immediate sentencing.
A popular, but controversial comedian, Dieudonne Mlada Mlada, known for his allegedly racist and anti-Semitic comments, was among those detained, the agency said, adding that none of the arrested have been linked by authorities to the attacks.
Security has been intensified outside Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet’s offices after it published a selection of Charlie Hebdo cartoons Wednesday. The paper's headquarters and printing center in Ankara have been guarded by police as a precaution, AFP reported.
Cumhuriyet printed four pages of selected Charlie Hebdo cartoons, translated into Turkish, expressing solidarity with the French magazine, its editor said. The reprinted extracts included cartoons depicting Pope Francis and French President Francois Hollande. After a "number of consultations," cartoons that might be offensive to Muslims were not featured in the Turkish daily, according to its editor-in-chief.
The paper added that trucks leaving its printing center were stopped by police, which checked the publication's content before allowing distribution to proceed.
As the latest edition of Charlie Hebdo sells out, the Paris Prosecutor’s Office has announced that 54 people have been arrested for defending or glorifying terrorism since jihadists killed 17 people in France last week, AP reports. The arrests are part of a wider government crackdown and calls for tougher anti-terrorism measures. Government spokesman Stephane Le Foll said that some of those arrested have already been convicted.
The magazine has also been collecting donations. Over the last 72 hours, 14 thousand people have answered the call and raised over one million euro, according to a report from the 'Press and Pluralism' association in France.
Some have used the buzz around the release of the latest issue of the magazine to make profit: the newest issue on French Ebay has reportedly risen in price, with one copy costing around 300 euro. This is the second time the price has soared. In the aftermath of the attacks last week, an issue could reportedly cost up to several thousand euros.
The Turkish daily Cumhuriyet was raided by police on Wednesday for attempting to distribute a selection of Charlie Hebdo cartoons from the new issue, in solidarity with the global and journalistic outcry, local media reports.
Al-Azhar, a leading Islamic authority, has appealed to Muslims to “ignore” the publication of the new Charlie Hebdo issue, specifically the cover. The body argues that the Prophet Mohammed is much too great to be harmed by satirical cartoons, Naharnet reports.
Syrian President Bashar Assad has condemned last week's terrorist attacks and has urged for international cooperation and the exchange of intelligence in fighting terorrism, the country's media reports.
The Yemeni branch of Al Qaeda said in a video statement that the Charlie Hebdo attackers were given orders to attack the office of the satirical magazine. The terror group’s senior leader has personally delivered the message, according to the AP.
The mufti council of Russia has joined many other mainstream Islamic voices in criticism of the new Charlie Habdo cover, calling it an “unsuitable response” to terrorism. The statement comes from deputy council chairman Rushan Abbyasov.
On s'arrache #CharlieHebdo dans les kiosques. Reportage VIDEO ICI =>http://t.co/xO5WEwr4vU#JeSuisCharliepic.twitter.com/HbMGhYfnBV
— Le Parisien (@le_Parisien) 14 января 2015
Le Parisien reports that authorities have begun investigating threats made to Le Canard enchaine – another satirical magazine.
“It’s your turn now,” the email, sent to the magazine, said. It was received very shortly after the attack on the office of Charlie Hebdo.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has joined in the criticism of the new Charlie Hebdo cover, depicting the Prophet Muhammed.
“We condemn the French weekly’s provocative move, because it hurts sentiments of Muslims,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham said in her weekly press conference, according to the Tasnim news agency.
“The abuse of freedom of expression in the West is unacceptable,” the official emphasized.
Controversial French comedian Dieudonne Mbala Mbala has been detained, allegedly for defending terrorism, following Facebook comments that appeared to take the side of the terrorists, AP reported.
The comedian has had previous run-ins with the law, among them for popularizing a salute that closely resembled a Nazi one. He has previously also been convicted of racism and anti-Semitism.
Although Dieudonne, as he is known by his stage name, is quickly losing favor with French liberals – his performances were banned last year – he still has a following, one reportedly comprised mainly of young disaffected youths.
Dieudonne’s arrest comes as France is rolling out new measures to crack down on anyone who appears to defend terrorism. An arrest on Monday saw a man taken away for a drunken rant on the subject. He received four years in prison for resisting arrest.
US Secretary of State John Kerry will on Friday meet President Hollande in Paris to discuss the attacks of last week, AFP reports.
Charlie Hebdo will print 5 million copies of its latest issue to meet high demand, as people line up to buy it at newsstands in defiance of looming security threats associated with its controversial cover, distributors said.
"I've never bought it before, it's not quite my political stripes, but it's important for me to buy it today and support freedom of expression," David Sullo told journalists as he stood in a queue of more than two dozen people at a kiosk in downtown Paris.
The original 60,000 copies - the magazine's usual run, has first been increased to three million, but demand has since skyrocketed.
EN DIRECT. Attentats : les kiosques dévalisés pour le #CharlieHebdo des «survivants» >>http://t.co/QRC5kqyJ5Tpic.twitter.com/y9jC36AKZX
— Le Parisien (@le_Parisien) 14 января 2015
A record 3 million copies of Charlie Hebdo’s new edition are set to appear on newsstands on Wednesday.
The front cover will show Prophet Muhammad shedding a tear while holding a "Je Suis Charlie" sign, and the headline will read "All is forgiven."
13 January 2015
France’s lower House of parliament voted overwhelmingly by 488 votes to 1 to extend airstrikes against Islamic State militants in Iraq on Tuesday. The vote came after France’s worst terrorist attacks in decades, which killed 17 people, with one of the terrorists claiming allegiance to Islamic State. France joined the US-led airstrikes against the jihadists after they took over parts of Iraq and Syria last year but French law requires a vote on extending such operations after four months.
In a speech to the National Assembly on Tuesday, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls outlined the measures that France will take to combat terrorism.
“Yes, France is waging a war on terrorism,” he said, echoing the remarks he made in a speech last Saturday, when he said that France is at war with “everything that is aimed at breaking fraternity, freedom and solidarity.”
He noted that France is not at war with Muslims or Islam.
Valls declared that France “must react to this exceptional situation with exceptional measures.”
The Prime Minster suggested fighting against proselytizing with increased supervision for radicalized inmates, and monitoring those convicted of terrorism by creating new extensive information files for the suspects. He also urged strengthening the capacity of intelligence agencies with additional resources.
Prosecutors accuse French citizen Fritz-Joly Joachin, who was detained in Bulgaria January 1, of having ties to the perpetrators of the Charlie Hebdo massacre.
The first arrest warrant issued against Joachin says the 29-year-old abducted his son and was plotting to smuggle him into Syria, while the second accuses him of ties to a criminal group that planned acts of terrorism, according to Darina Slavova, a prosecutor in a town near the Turkish border.
"The second arrest warrant says Joachin, a man of Haitian origin, had several contacts with Cherif Kouachi, one of the brothers who carried out attacks in Paris," she said.
Joachin has agreed to be extradited to France where he will face charges.
Charlie Hebdo's new edition Wednesday, featuring a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad, will be printed in English, Arabic and Turkish, magazine’s chief editor told AFP.
Egyptian Grand Mufti Shawqi Allam warned Charlie Hebdo newspaper against publishing its edition featuring the Prophet Muhammad shedding a tear, while holding a "Je Suis Charlie" sign.
"This edition will cause a new wave of hatred in French and Western society in general and what the magazine is doing does not serve coexistence or a dialogue between civilizations," he said in the statement.
He urged French authorities to reject what he called the magazine’s "racist act," and claimed it was trying to provoke "religious strife... and deepen hatred."
"This is an unwarranted provocation against the feelings of ... Muslims around the world," Allam said.
Dozens of people in the city of Peshawar in Pakistan paid tribute to Cherif and Said Kouachi, who killed 12 people at the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on January 7. Worshipers called the Kouachi brothers “martyrs” and chanted “Death to Hebdo publications” and “Long live Cherif Kouachi, long live Said Kouachi.”
“These two brothers have paid the debt of all Muslims in the world and we present them our salute and respect,” Local cleric Maulana Pir Mohammad Chishti told AFP.
France’s President Francois Hollande has met with the families of the three police officers who were killed in the recent Paris shootings.
One female police officer, 26, was killed following the shooting on the outskirts of Paris on January 8. Two other policemen were shot dead in the Charlie Hebdo massacre a day earlier, on January 7.
F.Hollande a remis à titre posthume les insignes de Chevaliers de la Légion d'honneur aux trois policiers tués. pic.twitter.com/U7VJyO0wvK
— Voltage (@voltageofficiel) January 13, 2015
A Frenchman suspected of links with Paris attackers has been arrested in Bulgaria, AFP reported prosecutors as saying.
Scuffles break out between anti-PEGIDA protesters and police http://t.co/AbNyoWOMih
— Ruptly (@Ruptly) January 13, 2015
The owner of the kosher store has expressed his intention to move to Israel, just days after the attack that left 17 dead.
Patrice Walid, owner of HyperCacher kosher mart in Porte de Vincennes, eastern Paris, was injured in the attack and said that when he is discharged from hospital, he intends to move to Israel.
The bodies of four French Jewish citizens killed in the assault on the kosher supermarket in Paris have arrived in Israel to be buried in Jerusalem, according to an airport official.
Yoav Hattab, Philippe Braham, Yohan Cohen and Francois-Michel Saada were at the kosher supermarket in eastern Paris on Friday, when the place came under attack from radical Islamist gunman Amedy Coulibaly.
Later, police stormed the building and killed Coulibaly, who was connected to the two armed men that carried out the attack on the headquarters of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo almost a week ago.
Seventeen people were shot and killed during the three-day siege.
The owner of the kosher store has expressed his intention to move to Israel, just days after the deadly attack that left 17 dead took place, his brother told Israel’s Army Radio.
12 January 2015
French authorities are searching the Paris area for a car associated with terrorists allegedly connected to the attacks in the French capital, police officials told AFP. Police believe as many as six terror-cell members may still be at large.
One of the two brothers responsible for last week’s deadly massacre had been forbidden from traveling abroad when he left France in 2011 for weapons training in Yemen, a French justice system representative told Reuters. Said and Cherif Kouachi were smuggled into Yemen through Oman in the summer of 2011, two senior Yemen sources said.
Cherif was detained from May to October 2010 for having alleged ties to a group that unsuccessfully attempted to break Smain Ali Belkacem out of prison. Belkacem was responsible for the deadly 1995 attack on the Paris transport system, which killed eight.
The case against Cherif was later dropped, though he remained under judicial control following his release and was forbidden from leaving France.
Bulgarian authorities have arrested a man wanted in France for ties to terrorism. Fritz Jolie Joaquin, 29, a French citizen of Haitian origin, allegedly planned to take his three-year-old son to Syria for a radical Islamist upbringing. He was detained when attempting to cross Bulgaria’s southeastern border with Turkey on January 1.
The man’s wife claims he kidnapped their son and wanted to raise him in a jihadist community. Joaquin has denied the allegations and insists he was traveling for vacation to Istanbul with his son and girlfriend. He has, however, agreed to be extradited to France.
RT @Itzsamantha RT @AvaTwilighter: #JeSuisCharlie Kristen Stewart. That's my idol <3 pic.twitter.com/ZJNvonEb2M
— Je Suis Charlie (@BotCharlie) January 12, 2015
#JeSuisCharlie becomes a fad & no #GoldenGlobe celebs support 2000 killed by #BokoHaram-Is it about terror or trends? pic.twitter.com/DYmIyo4ePY
— IN THE NOW (@INTHENOWRT) January 12, 2015
French authorities are investigating a controversial anti-Israel comedian, named Dieudonne, for "inciting terrorism" in a Facebook post, which could be viewed as sympathetic towards the Paris shooters, prosecutors say.
"Tonight, as far as I'm concerned, I feel like Charlie Coulibaly," the comedian wrote.
It was a play on words, using part of the expression "Je suis Charlie" ("I am Charlie") and the surname of Friday's kosher store attacker, Amedy Coulibaly.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the majority of her cabinet will join a rally for an "open and tolerant Germany,” organized by Muslim leaders in Berlin on Tuesday, government spokesman Georg Streiter said.
"We Muslims in Germany condemn the despicable terror attacks in France in the strongest terms," Muslim leaders said in its invitation. "There is no justification in Islam for such acts."
#MarcheRepublicaine#JeSuisCharlie#CharlieHebdopic.twitter.com/GZDu0JXQ8i
— Francesco F (@frankiegas) January 12, 2015
Les #taxis#Parisiens sont #Charlie#JeSuisCharliepic.twitter.com/LWmx3VJDX4
— Nabilakoff (@nabilakoff) January 12, 2015
The World is Charlie http://t.co/qRn9zckXLC#jesuischarliepic.twitter.com/Kt0EJmNerL
— T Charles (@ParrotCareCtr) January 12, 2015
#Seoul is also joining the movement of #JeSuisCharlie via @Rominh_Officialpic.twitter.com/WWhBfYYwiV
— Jaehwan Cho 조재환 (@hohocho) January 12, 2015
Montrouge aujourd'hui. Au bout de ma rue. Rip clarissa pic.twitter.com/qpWtFxSd1E
— delille alexandra (@alloma27) January 12, 2015
#Copenhague#Kobenhavn#JeSuisCharlie#Denmarkpic.twitter.com/4OHOmRzKys
— Starry Marc (@marckeepwalking) January 12, 2015
#JeSuisCharlie#Deutschland#Mannheimpic.twitter.com/gYFTJWfZUT
— Sergio Dávila (@sergidamo) January 12, 2015
Epic #JeSuisCharliepic.twitter.com/AQurI98hZd
— John Lommers (@johnlommers) January 12, 2015
17 victimes. 17 noms. 17 visages. #MarcheDu11Janvierpic.twitter.com/Ihf73FLAf3
— CRIF (@Le_CRIF) January 12, 2015
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu is currently visiting the Jewish supermarket in Paris, where four Jews died on Friday in a terrorist attack.
Netanyahu heeft koshere supermarkt Parijs bezocht. http://t.co/68lrVKoyOGpic.twitter.com/XkGCUqqxCq
— Joop Soesan (@JoopSoesan) January 12, 2015
Tight security bars off crowds awaiting arrival of #Netanyahu at Paris kosher store pic.twitter.com/N8jkmDcWAr”
— carmen tlc (@Carmen_TLC) January 12, 2015
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is planning to visit the kosher store in eastern Paris on Monday, where the gunman killed four Jews during a three-day-long period of terror attacks in France, an Israeli embassy spokeswoman told AFP.
French authorities have deployed about 5,000 police officers and security forces to protect 700 Jewish schools following the recent Paris shootings, after the country’s PM Minister Manuel Valls said the gunman behind kosher store probably had an accomplice.
France is mobilizing about 10,000 security forces across the country in the wake of the Paris shootings, Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said.
The deployment will start on Tuesday and focus on the most sensitive areas, added Cazeneuve.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu confirmed that Hayat Boumeddiene, 26, the female accomplice of Amedy Coulibaly (one of the gunman involved in the Paris killings), crossed into Syria from Turkey on January 8, the Anadolu Agency reported.
Boumedienne arrived in Turkey from Madrid on January 2 and stayed at a hotel in Istanbul, he said.
Coulibaly is believed to have shot a policewoman on Thursday before storming into a Parisian kosher shop on Friday and killing four people.
"@InsoliteBuzz1: Le slogan #JeSuisCharlie s'affiche sur la bourse de New York ! C'est beau pic.twitter.com/TR9Z45XEFL"
— IX VII III (@r_obert_off) January 12, 2015
#JeSuisCharliepic.twitter.com/OrDShc1Nqu
— Burcu. (@burlesqueruckus) January 12, 2015
L'Empire State Building, à #NewYork, envoie son message à la France. #JeSuisCharliepic.twitter.com/HmPsS1gfVV
— Sylvain Dubé (@syldube47) January 12, 2015
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday urged for tolerance and called on the world not to retaliate against Muslims in the aftermath of the tragic Paris attacks.
“In the aftermath of this week’s events in Paris, he [Ban Ki-moon] warns in particular against targeting Muslims for reprisals. Such unwarranted bias would only play into the hands of terrorists and contribute to the spiral of violence,” the UN’s statement said.
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu condemned the attacks in France during the Paris march on Sunday, while adding there should be no double standards as to denouncing attacks on Muslim mosques and standing up against Islamophobia.
“It is a message to the whole world that everyone must confront the threat of terror,” Davutoglu told reporters at the Turkish embassy in Paris on Sunday.
“We would expect the same sensitivities to be shown to attacks on mosques or Islamophobia,” he said after participating in a march along with over 40 world leaders.
...
11 January 2015
Police arrested the suspect after he allegedly called the Belgian newspaper, Le Soir, on Sunday threatening that a bomb had been planted in the building.
The individual was identified as Thierry Carreyn, 53, who was involved in the bombing of a telephone booth in front of the office of Flemish nationalists party Vlaams Blok in 1999, which ended with no casualties.
Le Soir offices were evacuated following the telephone call, but the special police unit failed to locate any explosives on the site. The newspaper was one of many that decided to reprint Charlie Hebdo's cartoons in a sign of support with the victims and free speech.
Carreyn said he was acting on behalf of the “extreme left” and was unhappy with how the paper covered the events in connection with the Paris attacks.
.
#ParisMarch: Largest demonstration in French history (VIDEO, PHOTOS) http://t.co/5mEtZv32zFpic.twitter.com/w9aPyfvK1N
— RT (@RT_com) January 11, 2015
After the Unity March, French President Francois Hollande and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Grand Synagogue for a ceremony commemorating the victims of the recent attacks in Paris. The two were welcomed by a standing ovation. Though the majority of victims were killed in Charlie Hebdo office, four more hostages were killed in the kosher grocery shop in eastern Paris.
In total, in various marches across France, some 3.7 million people took to the streets in a record mobilisation, an official told AFP.
Engineer Jordi Mir who shot the video of police officer Ahmet Merabet’s tragic death during the gunmen’s attack at Charlie Hebdo office in Paris regrets posting it online. He says it was a “stupid reflex” as he wanted to share his feelings. At first he did not understand what was happening, he added, and thought it was a bank robbery, but later, when the police came he handed them the video and then put it on Facebook.
“I had to speak to someone,’ Mir told AP. ‘I was alone in my flat. I put the video on Facebook. That was my error.”
However, when he decided to remove the video 15 minutes later it had already been shared many times and been uploaded to YouTube.
“Speaking to some of the hundreds of thousands of demonstrators who have descended on Place de la Nation here in central Paris today, really two almost distinct sets of sentiments and messages are being expressed,” RT’s Harry Fear said from Paris. “On the one hand, people want to very positively assert France’s motto and the principles of free speech and free press – a very positive almost celebration of these values and this coming out today for that – and also, on the other hand, a more somber expression of the tragedy of this week and a mood of commemoration among others particularly touched by this week’s, obviously shocking, devastation”
France’s Interior Ministry called the rally “unprecedented”, adding that the numbers were impossible to properly count because people veered off the officially stated route. However, French media put the number as high as 3 million, with some suggesting that there hasn’t been a march of the same level since Paris was freed from the Nazis in WW2.
The funeral for Ahmed Merabet, the 42-year-old policeman shot dead outside of the offices of the Charlie Hebdo weekly in Paris on Wednesday, was held on Sunday. The service preceded a massive march which attracted hundreds of thousands of people and dozens of world leaders to pay their respects to the victims of the terror attacks.
The Labour Party pays tribute to Ahmed Merabet and other victims of the terrible #CharlieHebdo attacks. pic.twitter.com/Q9ZAtDhInB
— The Labour Party (@UKLabour) January 11, 2015
Police badges taped over in mourning for fellow officer Ahmed Merabet #jesuisahmed#charliehebdopic.twitter.com/AJV3Mbmp1h
— James Fletcher (@radiojay) January 11, 2015
A small sea of people in #Bonn marching for #CharieHebdopic.twitter.com/hVOpYbAULN
— Sofia Diogo Mateus (@sofiadmateus) January 11, 2015
EXPECTED: Tens of thousands flooding #Marseille to commemorate #CharlieHebdo attacks pic.twitter.com/Takm0evZS4
— Ruptly Newsroom (@RuptlyNewsroom) January 11, 2015
‘I am Charlie, Jews, Police – United.’ #MarcheRepublicaine#PlaceDeLaNation#ParisAttacks#JeSuisCharliepic.twitter.com/vWKcNuEDmf
— Harry Fear (@harryfear) January 11, 2015
Historic #UnityMarch kicks off in #Paris. WATCH LIVE http://t.co/ZUlIbx54sfpic.twitter.com/WcEHmkM85z
— RT (@RT_com) January 11, 2015
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced the bodies of the French Jews killed in Paris would be buried in Israel.
Police snipers watch over blocked streets of Paris @RuptlyNewsroom@Ruptly#jesuischarlie#parispic.twitter.com/eIgAfKnXnu
— Jon Scammell (@JonScammell) January 11, 2015
List of world leaders to take part in #Paris unity march for victims of #CharlieHebdo attack via @PaulLarrouturoupic.twitter.com/j48yNrYujQ
— Ladane Nasseri (@LadaneNasseri) January 11, 2015
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were among dozens of world leaders, ministers and government representatives to attend a mass national unity rally in Paris honoring the victims of the worst massacre in France in a generation.
All of #Paris seems to be in the street, march in solidarity with #ChalieHebdo about to start pic.twitter.com/IgPIDS8fz8
— Izza Leghtas (@IzzaLeghtas) January 11, 2015
Cherif and Said Kouachi, the brothers who carried out the deadly attack on the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, had received weapons traveled to Yemen in 2011 to carry out weapons training, two senior Yemini sources told Reuters on Sunday.
"These two brothers arrived in Oman on July 25, 2011, and from Oman they were smuggled into Yemen where they stayed for two weeks," a senior Yemeni security official, who declined to be named, told the agency.
"They met (Al-Qaeda preacher) Anwar al-Awlaki and then they were trained for three days in the deserts of Marib on how to fire a gun. They returned to Oman and they left Oman on August 15, 2011 to go back to France."
A senior Yemeni intelligence source confirmed the security official’s version of events.
Approximately one million people are gathering in Paris to honor the victims of the three days of terror attacks that shocked the nation. World leaders have converged on Paris for the solidarity march. Apart from the capital, hundreds of thousands will also rally in a number of other French cities.
“It will be an unprecedented manifestation that will be written in the history books,” Prime Minister Manuel Valls said. “It must show the power and dignity of the French people, who will proclaim their love of liberty and tolerance.”
The shooting of a jogger in a Paris suburb on the same day as the Charlie Hebdo massacre has been linked to Amedy Coulibaly – the gunman, who killed a policewoman and four hostages at a kosher grocery, AP reports.
According to the prosecutor, the ballistics tests on the shell cases from Wednesday’s shooting in Fontenay aux Roses connect them to the automatic weapon used at the kosher store.
The prosecutor said the jogger was seriously wounded in the attack by Coulibaly, who himself was gunned down by police when they stormed the store on Friday.
President Hollande pledged to protect Jewish institutions "with army, if necessary", journalists learned on Sunday from a prominent figure in the French Jewish community. "He told us that all the schools, all the synagogues will be protected, if necessary, on top of the police, by the army," Roger Cukierman, president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France, told journalists. Francois Hollande also plans a visit to the Grand Synagogue in Paris, following the Sunday march in honor of the victims of this week's wave of terrorist attacks.
A man that bears a resemblance to Paris terror suspect Amedy Couliaby, accused of shooting a policewoman and taking hostages at a Jewish supermarket, has appeared in a posthumous video online, claiming to be a member of the Islamic State terorrist group. The Sunday video shows him addressing viewers, saying he "came out against the police", with accompanying text detailing the two incidents.
Five people, who were arrested earlier over the Charlie Hebdo massacre and other incidents linked to the shootings, have been freed, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office said.
An argument between the slain gunman Amedy Coulibaly and hostages at the Paris kosher store was unwittingly recorded by French radio station RTL. The media released what it says was Coulibaly speaking on the West’s “attack on Muslims.”
The female accomplice of a gunman involved in the Paris killings is believed to have left France before the Friday attacks, and has crossed the Turkish border into Syria, Reuters reported, citing security sources.
10 January 2015
Hundreds of people gathered in New York to show their solidarity and express their condolences to the victims of the tragic attacks in Paris. People also held pens to show their support for free expression.
"What we are afraid of is less freedom for more security, it's muzzling," French-born New York resident Ollivier Souchard told AP.
Relatives of the killed hostage taker and cop killer Amedy Coulibaly have condemned his acts in a statement and offered their sincere condolences to families of the victims, AFP reports.
“We condemn these acts. We absolutely do not share these extreme ideas. We hope there will not be any confusion between these odious acts and the Muslim religion,” the mother and sisters of Coulibaly wrote to the agency.
26-year-old Hayat Boumeddiene, wanted in connection with the hostage taking in a kosher Parisian grocery store on Friday, crossed the border between Turkey and Syria on Thursday, January 8th, meaning she could not have played an active role in the scenario, France’s RTL reported.
On January 2, she had a reservation for a flight going from Madrid to Istanbul. Boumeddiene was the partner of 32-year-old Amedy Coulibaly who was killed during a security forces operation to rescue the hostages.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is to head the Russian delegation in a rally to commemorate the victims of the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris on January 11, the Foreign Ministry says. Numerous European leaders will also attend the rally, among them UK Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker and European President Donald Tusk.
Following the dramatic security operations on Friday, 500 extra soldiers have been deployed in the greater Paris area, AFP reports, citing the defense ministry.
"We will this morning announce a reinforcement of 500 additional military personnel, in two waves in Ile de France," the ministry said, referring to the greater Paris metropolitan area.
A park near Disneyland Paris has been evacuated, but it turned out to be a false alarm, French media reported. A woman was screaming from her window claiming to be the companion of the gunmen linked to the Kouachi brothers, Amedy Coulibaly, who killed a policewoman on Thursday and four hostages on Friday in a Paris store. She was arrested immediately.
Évacuation à Disneyland Paris du a une alerte à la bombe!! pic.twitter.com/U1dVqhtr91
— sabrina (@mariesabrina2) January 10, 2015
Les partisans de la liberté seront toujours plus nombreux que ceux de la barbarie ! #NousSommesCharlie#Nice06pic.twitter.com/e51R0He3Yd
— Eric Ciotti ن (@ECiotti) January 10, 2015
A bomb threat was reported at Paris Gare du Nord station. Police officers and special forces went to investigate.
Walked off the London train and into a bomb scare at Paris Gare du Nord. Station teeming with police and soldiers pic.twitter.com/AkzHbUXGip
— Patrick Jackson (@patrickgjackson) January 10, 2015
The Weekend Australian newspaper published a cartoon showing the Prophet Mohammed arguing with Jesus, AFP reports. The illustration, entitled "Let us pray", shows Jesus holding up the Koran and telling Mohammed: "I've told you this needs a sequel," in reference to the Bible, which has an Old and New Testament. The cartoon has been viewed as a call to free speech in the wake of this week’s deadly attack on the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo.
Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve is calling for "extreme vigilance" after a series of attacks across France.
"We are exposed to risks," said the minister, adding that the authorities are deploying hundreds of soldiers in addition to thousands of police and security forces.
French authorities are maintaining the highest security levels in the Charlie Hebdo aftermath, the Interior Ministry said.
The French government will hold an emergency meeting to discuss measures to prevent further attacks, AP reported.
Le #GIGN libère sain et sauf l'homme caché depuis le début dans l'imprimerie. Fin de l'assaut. pic.twitter.com/7OTgqO2VcE
— GendarmerieNationale (@Gendarmerie) January 9, 2015
Respect #GIGN#RAID#BRIpic.twitter.com/Y3hsRFLLsK
— Gouvernement (@gouvernementFR) January 9, 2015
.
#Video shows blast at kosher supermarket in eastern Paris les images de l'assaut final #CharlieHebdohttps://t.co/EQvtrtlZS6@Daily_Star
— VideoDeportes (@CostaDeportes) January 9, 2015
Hostages taken in a jewelry store in Montpellier, Southern France, have been released after the man holding them surrendered to police.
Montpellier prosecutor Christophe Barret confirmed to reporters that the gunman was arrested and the two hostages were released and are in good health. Barret also said there was no attempted robbery and stressed that the situation in Montpellier was not connected to the earlier events in Paris and in Northern France.
Authorities did not provide immediate explanations as to the gunman’s motives. Overall, negotiations between the police and gunman lasted for over eight hours with hostages remaining inside the store.
In the wake of recent attacks in France, Australia, and Canada, the United States has issued a worldwide travel alert. The warning states that violent attacks involving Americans are becoming more common and calls for extra vigilance.
"Recent terrorist attacks, whether by those affiliated with terrorist entities, copycats, or individual perpetrators, serve as a reminder that US citizens need to maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness," the alert reads.
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said that he is not ruling out the possibility of more terrorist attacks against the country.
“France has faced an unprecedented level of terrorism. We cannot exclude the possibility of new attacks against the country. France leads a real war against terrorism,” Valls said in a statement.
There are up to 1,400 French citizens linked to jihad groups, Valls said, RIA Novosti cited local channel TF1. “We are talking about hundreds of people who are trained in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan or Yemen. This is a significant number, from 1,200 to 1,400 people.”
09 January 2015
French police have released a video of the dramatic shootout with the Charlie Hebdo terror suspects Cherif and Said Kouachi in Dammartin-en-Goele, north-east of Paris. The standoff resulted in both of the suspects killed and one policeman injured.
The negotiations between police and the gunmen over the two people being held hostage at the jewellery store in Montpellier, Southern France, have yielded no progress. French media reported the police force has retreated.
#Montpellier Prise d'otages (2) tjs en cours après le braquage d'une bijouterie http://t.co/fG1pk7Lh91 _ @Midilibrepic.twitter.com/0QWrrUeGHt
— France Bedos (@FranceBedos) January 9, 2015
A statement sent to several media outlets by an alleged member of Al-Qaeda in Yemen claimed the terrorist group was responsible for the Charlie Hebdo shooting and carried it out as a “revenge for the honor” of Prophet Muhammad.
The statement also had a chilling message to Western powers regarding their Middle Eastern policies. It allegedly promised a “dear price” and “severe punishment” for “touching Muslims'sanctity and protecting those who blaspheme.”
The group then threatened that “the crimes of the Western countries, above them America, Britain and France will backfire deep in their home.”
READ MORE: Al-Qaeda in Yemen claims directing Paris attacks as ‘revenge’ – reports
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls told television channel TF1 that the decision to draw both situations simultaneously to a close was undertaken by Hollande, with Valls’ help, alongside Bernard Cazeneuve, Minister of the Interior, and Christiane Taubira, the Minister of Justice. He said that the victims of terrorists were taken out of harm’s way thanks to the remarkable work of law enforcement “professionals and heroes.”
Fifteen hostages were freed from the store, an Israeli official told AP.
Explosion marks moment police stormed the Kosher deli in Paris. http://t.co/QfJC96KDVfpic.twitter.com/eRfCLfWbD7
— WPEC CBS 12 News (@CBS12) January 9, 2015
Four hostages died in the hostage-taking in Porte de Vincennes on Friday, according to French President Francois Hollande.
Hollande condemned the hostage-taking in the kosher grocery store as an “appalling act of anti-Semitism”.
Paris kosher grocery store hostage taker, Amedy Coulibaly, has claimed links with the Islamic State (formerly ISIS) in a pre-recorded television interview with BFMTV. Sherif Kouachi claimed to be acting on the behalf of Al-Qaeda in Yemen. Coulibaly, who was also wanted in connection with the death of a female police officer on Thursday, told the channel that he was personally linked to the Kouachi brothers. “Yes we were synchronized for operations,” he said.
The leader of France’s rightwing Front National (FN), Marine Le Pen, has asked French President Francois Hollande to suspend the visa-free Schengen Area in Europe and strip dual nationals of their French citizenship if they carry out “barbaric crimes.”
#BREAKING - Hostage situation in #Montpellier jewellery store pic.twitter.com/cqj3iPtof2
— Ruptly (@Ruptly) January 9, 2015
Two people are being held in a shop in the center of Montpellier. The police have surrounded the area. However, no one was killed nor wounded, local Midi Libre said.
C'est la bijouterie Barrière #montpellier qui a été victime de ce braquage Deux personnes seraient prises en otage pic.twitter.com/hxPp5T2ffR
— Montpellier Web News (@voussaveztout) 9 января 2015
According to local officials, there is no connection to Paris events. People from the surrounding shops were evacuated by the police and the electricity was cut to prepare the police attack to release the hostages.
#Montpellier L'éclairage public est coupé autour de la place de la Comédie. Les policiers donnent deux braqueurs. pic.twitter.com/zlZA2340wG
— david blanchard (@d_blanchard42) 9 января 2015
There are also unconfirmed reports of a bomb threat in Versailles.
There are unconfirmed reports that a second male gunman escaped from a kosher grocery store, which was the scene of a hostage standoff earlier Friday evening.
There are unconfirmed reports of a bomb threat in the southwestern French city of Bordeaux.
"@H0XH4: BREAKING: Hostage situation in a jewelry store in #Montpellier, France. pic.twitter.com/Km9UZ7LFAY" en we gaan door!
— Remco (@RemcoOfficial) January 9, 2015
Watch ambulances race to scene of #Dammartin en Goele siege FULL COVERAGE: http://t.co/koZOduEjrE#CharlieHebdopic.twitter.com/TKbLBLXOpO
— Ruptly (@Ruptly) January 9, 2015
Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve had confirmed that hostages were killed during the police operations, but did not specify how many.
#BREAKING - #CharlieHebdo suspects killed - reports FULL COVERAGE: http://t.co/WJ8IQ2tUh0
— Ruptly (@Ruptly) January 9, 2015
Special forces have reportedly been dispatched to two new security situations in Versailles and Montpellier, police sources told euronews.
Montpellier .. right now .. Special Forces already on the scene .. pic.twitter.com/lc1itEznGw
— EnaLolena (@EnaLolena) January 9, 2015
A hostage situation has been reported in a jewelery store in Montpellier, France.
French President Francois Hollande is to address the nation following the siege-ending police operations.
The leader of France’s rightwing Front National (FN), Marine Le Pen tweeted her congratulations to France's security forces following police operations which ended both hostage sieges on Friday.
Bravo à la DGSI, au GIGN, aux policiers du 36, de la DCPJ et du RAID ainsi qu'au SPHP qui risquent leur peau pour notre sécurité ! MLP
— Marine Le Pen (@MLP_officiel) January 9, 2015
At least four hostages were killed during the Kosher supermarket siege in eastern Paris, a police source told Reuters.
Gunfire heard during the standoff at a printing firm north east of Paris. Cherif and Said Kouachi, who were suspected in Wednesday's attack on the Charlie Hebdo office, were shot dead during a police operation to dislodge the brothers from the complex.
One policeman was reportedly injured during the operation to dislodge the Charlie Hebdo terror suspects from a printing firm north east of Paris. He is reportedly not in critical condition, though the nature of his injuries remains unknown.
French police operation comes to an end as #CharlieHebdo suspects killed, hostages freed http://t.co/QZbkbOTJNgpic.twitter.com/pWJuqm6Ax1
— RT (@RT_com) January 9, 2015
Ambulances have reportedly been seen rushing to the kosher grocery store in the Porte de Vincennes area, where 32-year old Amedy Coulibaly was reportedly shot dead after taking 5 people hostage.
Le Monde shows what it says are Paris hostages being evacuated pic.twitter.com/7RLSBK2FBv
— Julian Druker (@Julian5News) January 9, 2015
The Charlie Hebdo terror suspects, who were holed up in a printing firm in Dammartin-en-Goele, a commune located 22 miles northeast of France, “came out firing" when police stormed the building, a police source told AFP.
URGENT: Both #CharlieHebdo suspects killed - reports http://t.co/QZbkbOTJNgpic.twitter.com/PB05L1pWmZ
— RT (@RT_com) January 9, 2015
The two suspects in the Charlie Hebdo massacre are reported to have been killed in Dammartin-en-Goele. Meanwhile, their hostage has reportedly been released. There are also reports the hostages being held in a grocery store in Paris were also freed.
More ambulances coming through Paris cordon pic.twitter.com/BtJ0pDM90S
— Joey Jones (@joeyjonessky) January 9, 2015
The holed-up Charlie Hebdo suspects have a rocket launcher in their possession, according to a secuirty source who spoke to France24.
The gunman has threatened to kill the hostages if law enforcers attempt to storm the store, police said, reported AP.
The Academie de Paris has reported that parents can collect their children from all Paris schools except those in the security perimeter in the 11th and 12th districts. The schools there must be kept closed until a special order is given to reopen them.
The Algerian secret services had warned their French counterparts of an imminent terrorist attack on French soil on January 6, French digital channel iTele reported.
Special forces evacuate local residents in Saint-Mande, near Porte de Vincennes in Paris. Photo @MartinBureau1#AFPpic.twitter.com/ngaAVAtwFw
— Stéphane Arnaud (@StephaneArnaud_) January 9, 2015
The hostage taker in the store is demanding freedom for the Kouachi brothers, RTL reports.
France’s Ministry of the Interior has formally denied reports that two people died in the kosher supermarket attack, reported France 24.
Trocadero Square near Eiffel Tower has been evacuated following reports of armed incident. However, this was later found to have been a false alert.
Trocadero: Fausse alerte (Intérieur)
— William Molinié (@WilliamMolinie) January 9, 2015
Reuters, citing police sources, reported six hostages with one wounded in the store attack. AFP previously stated that two had been killed.
The suspects involved in the Montrouge shooting of a policewoman on Thursday have been identified as 26-year-old Hayat Boumeddiene and 32-year-old Amedy Coulibaly. One or both of them are also suspected of having taken hostages in a grocery store in Paris on Friday. “These people may be armed and dangerous,” said the police statement.
SECOND Appel à témoins #Fusillade#Montrouge Contacter le 0805 02 17 17. En savoir plus >>> http://t.co/8c2UJGQQJypic.twitter.com/n5h5e6Yb1b
— Préfecture de police (@prefpolice) January 9, 2015
At least two people have been killed in the hostage situation at Porte de Vincennes, AFP reports.
France’s Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve is heading to the shooting scene at Porte de Vincennes, Le Figaro reported.
Police have completely locked down the area at Porte de Vincennes, RTL radio said.
There are now at least five hostages in the kosher grocery store, according to a police source contacted by Le Figaro.“It is extremely dangerous,” the source stated. “He has two assault rifles.” The source suggested that the hostage taker was the person sought in the killing at Montrouge.
An armed man has taken a hostage in a grocery store in Porte de Vincennes, eastern Paris. “Panic at Porte de Vincennes. Policemen in bulletproof vests are evacuating everyone. The operation is underway,” tweeted Raquel Garrido from France’s Left Party.
Face à #hypercasher à #saintmandepic.twitter.com/iYYr3NxanO
— david_dlr (@daviddlr) January 9, 2015
A resident of the area told Le Figaro that it was a "war scene unfolding before our eyes".
Television channel France 2 has reported the hostage is a 26-year-old male. Previously it had been believed the hostage was female.
The Ministry of the Interior has confirmed that it has “tried to establish contact” with the hostage takers.
Several schools, located close to the printing house where the suspects have been surrounded, have been evacuated, French media reported.
The Henri Dunant primary school is only 300 meters from the printing facility.
Terror suspects, Cherif and Said Kouachi want to die as martyrs, a lawmaker inside the French command post said, as cited by AP. Earlier, Yves Albarello, deputy of Seine-et-Marne department, also told Le Figaro by telephone that they (the terrorists) were “ready to die as martyrs.”
Contact has been made with one of the terror suspects holding a hostage near Charles De Gaulle airport, northeast of Paris, a French official told AP.
Charlie Hebdo massacre and police woman shooting in Paris on Thursday are linked, a police source reportedly said, adding that it appeared all the attackers were in the same terror cell.
A pig’s head was found near a mosque in Corte commune, Haute-Corse area in Corsica, police said.
“We are at war against terrorism, not against religion,” France’s PM Manuel Valls told the reporters.
Hollande has ordered that security be tightened at vigils devoted to the Paris massacre victims, which are to be held on Sunday.
The hospitals in Dammartin-en-Goele are on high alert, saying they are ready to receive patients in case any causalities result from the police operation
Hostage drama northeast of Paris as police reportedly corner shooting suspects - UPDATES http://t.co/G6eunBDIrjpic.twitter.com/e9KJ6cfejX
— RT (@RT_com) January 9, 2015
Two of four runways have been closed at the airport as the operation to neutralize the Paris shooting suspects is underway, reported the media. Planes cross the Dammartin-en-Goele commune while approaching CDG airport.
France’s President Francois Hollande is scheduled to hold a crisis meeting with the interior minister at 11am local time, the president’s press service reported.
The suspects are holding one hostage, police sources told AFP.
The Charles de Gaulle School in Dammartin-en-Goele is under lockdown as police have surrounded the town. Pupils were instructed to stay away from windows, said a high school student in Figaro.
"Some students are crying," said another, adding that her friend was "terrified."
BREAKING #AF7 and #AF1695 just aborted landing at Paris CDG airport. Shooting near the airport. pic.twitter.com/H3BNY6Uy51 /@flightradar24
— Air News agency (@airlivenet) January 9, 2015
RTL reports that at least two people have been seriously injured during or before the hostage-taking in Dammartin-en-Goele.
The hostages were taken at the Création Tendance Découverte , a small company which has about 5 employees, the city mayor said at the press conference.
BREAKING Now 7 military helicopters close to Paris CDG airport. Track: http://t.co/wFxqoGoq3E
— Air News agency (@airlivenet) January 9, 2015
On N2, high speed police convoys overtaking us towards Dammartin. Suspects said to be holed up in premises of construction company.
— Piers Scholfield (@inglesi) January 9, 2015
"We have indications that the terrorists are within our perimeter," said Cazeneuve. "The national police and the gendarmerie are working to locate them.”
"The GIGN is is place and the operation is being conducted minute by minute, led by the director general of the gendarmerie and the national police, the counter terror authorities and the Interior Ministry,” he added.
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said all security teams have been "mobilized in Dammartin-en-Goele," a commune located 22 miles northeast of Paris.
“An important safety device has been set up at the three departments of the Oise, Aisne and Seine-et-Marne. This device led us to recover important information yesterday,” he said as cited by RTL.
France's interior minister has officially confirmed that an operation to detain suspects is now underway northeast of Paris, AP reports.
10 camions de gendarmerie mobile en route vers Dammartin # CharlieHebdo pic.twitter.com/QlIO3SQQdC
— Marc-Antoine Bindler (@marcobindler) January 9, 2015
The two suspects are reportedly leading police on a car chase in a stolen Peugot 206 on the N2 motorway, Sky News reports. The N2 passes near Charles de Gaulle Airport. It is also reported the terrorists have taken one or several hostages.
BREAKING: Reports of shots in car chase in northeast France - @Ruptly's team on location. Update to follow.
— Ruptly Newsroom (@RuptlyNewsroom) January 9, 2015
Confused reports are coming in from French media about shots fired in the Seine-et-Marne area in northeastern France, and also a possible hostage situation and a car chase.
The reports are currently unconfirmed. RTL radio reported the gunfire was heard in the Dammartin-en-Goele commune in Seine-et-Marne, which is only two-and-a-half hours drive from Villers-Cotterets. where police are looking for the Paris shooting suspects.
Three nights of remembrance will be paid to the Charlie Hebdo victims at the François Miterrand national library, France’s culture ministry announced.
3 nuits d'hommage aux victimes de #CharlieHebdo à la #BnF François Mitterrand @ActuBnF#NousSommesCharliepic.twitter.com/4Oz6gk4wXE
— Ministère CultureCom (@MinistereCC) January 8, 2015
New York Times Square #JeSuisCharliepic.twitter.com/8potgkqCFD
— Jean-Bernard Cadier (@jbcadier) January 8, 2015
The search for the Kouachi brothers is underway in the Longpont commune in in Picardy, northern France. Police are now using helicopters.
A historic moment as the #EiffelTower goes dark to further unify the world around #CharlieHebdo. #JeSuisCharliepic.twitter.com/a76cIbj2C6
— Bipartisan Report (@Bipartisanism) January 9, 2015
The search for the Kouachi brothers, suspects in the shooting at the Charlie Hebdo magazine, is continuing in northern France, French media reported.
The two suspects behind the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris were on a US “no fly” list, US counterterrorism sources told Yahoo News. Cherif Kouachi, 32 and Said Kouachi , 34, were both logged in the US government’s Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment (TIDE) system, a database of names of people with terrorist ties.
.
This tweet from writer and activist Dyab Abou Jahjah set the hashtag #JeSuisAhmed on fire http://t.co/4XLPUAZrmn
— Sharen Craig (@peacepigeon) January 9, 2015
Media reports citing US and European sources “close to the investigation” have claimed that Charlie Hebdo attack suspect Said Kouachi received training with Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in Yemen, an affiliate of the terrorist group.
Reuters quoted a Yemeni official “familiar with the matter” who said the government is investigating Kouachi’s possible links with AQAP.
08 January 2015
Classmates of 18-year-old Charlie Hebdo suspect Hamyd Mourad have created the hashtag #MouradHamydInnocent on social media, saying the young man was at school at the time of the attack. Mourad’s alleged alibi is currently being investigated.
Meanwhile, a popular topic of speculation on Twitter has been whether the IDs reportedly left in the attackers’ car were in fact a decoy.
#MouradHamydInnocentpic.twitter.com/E2x5L3u4uR
— Boule Coco ✨ (@Kraabette) January 8, 2015
.
#EiffelTower's lights turned off to pay respect to #CharlieHebdo victims https://t.co/pNH52dMK08
— Ruptly (@Ruptly) January 8, 2015
Guardian Media Group has pledged £100,000 (US$151,000) to help sustain the attacked satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, according to the media group's editor, Alan Rusbridger.
Meanwhile, the Google-backed Digital Press Fund said some €250,000 ($296,000) has been earmarked to support the French publication.
It comes as major French media have joined efforts to gather humanitarian and financial help for Charlie Hebdo, additionally raising about €250,000 by Thursday evening.
.
Police continue huge manhunt for #CharlieHebdo killers http://t.co/DjCeYWlzsN
— Ruptly (@Ruptly) January 8, 2015
Police have extended their security threat level to the northern French region of Picardy, where special forces are searching for the alleged assailants.
READ MORE: Police comb area in N. France after Charlie Hebdo shooting suspects spotted
#CharieHebdo Le raid cherche :deux hommes à Corcy Aisne pic.twitter.com/mg5Djh1GTR
— Frédéric Gouis (@FredGouis) January 8, 2015
.
Paris airports are guarded by soldiers @Ruptlypic.twitter.com/iiDbApgAnw
— denise reese (@denice_ruptly) January 8, 2015
The man – who opened fire at two police officers, killing one near La porte de Chatillon, Montrouge commune in the south of Paris – has no connection to the Charlie Hebdo massacre suspects, the French Interior Ministry said on Thursday.
Unlike the leaders of other parties, French far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen has not been invited to the unity rally in Paris on Sunday in commemoration of the victims of the Charlie Hebdo massacre. According to Le Pen, she did not receive a call from Prime Minister Manuel Valls inviting her to take part in the event. She has denounced the move, saying that her party’s exclusion will mean the exclusion of over 25 percent of French electors.
France moved 850 troops into Paris to protect capital as part of raised terror alert - another 250 on short notice pic.twitter.com/8k2pzyQ7m8
— Jon Williams (@WilliamsJon) January 8, 2015
Muscovites bring flowers to the wall of the French embassy in memory of the journalists killed in Paris.
The French Prosecutor's Office is calling the shooting of a female police officer in a Parisian suburb an act of terrorism.
Flags are being flown at half-mast in Germany and the UK in solidarity with France.
Number 10 is flying the Union flags at half mast today. We stand united with the French people following the horrific killings in Paris.
— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) January 8, 2015
Two people suspected in the Paris shooting were spotted in Villers-Cotterets, 70 kilometers north of Paris, according to local media.
390 estimated French Jihadists in Syria, 60 dead, 185 back in France, more 1200 have links with Syrian networks #AFPpic.twitter.com/O7HnXC2l90
— Adèle Smith (@adelesmithNYC) January 8, 2015
Britain has ramped up border security in the wake of the Paris attack. “On a precautionary basis we have tightened up border security,” a spokeswoman for UK Prime Minister David Cameron told reporters. “For example at ports, people going through them would see increased car and truck searches, a bit more scanning of freight and then they will also see an increased visible presence.”
Charlie Hebdo will be published next week, despite the recent terror attack, one of its surviving editors, Patrick Pelloux, told AFP, adding that the magazine’s staff will meet soon to discuss the issue.
"It's very hard. We are all suffering, with grief, with fear, but we will do it anyway because stupidity will not win.”
The newspaper's lawyer, Richard Malka told Le Figaro that the newspaper will print one million copies instead of the usual 60,000.
The edition, however, will have just eight pages, instead of 16.
The two suspects in Wednesday’s deadly shooting have barricaded themselves in a house in the town of Crepy-en-Valois, and are surrounded by special police units, Haaretz reports, citing Le Figaro and France 3.
Le Figaro cite France 3 TV channel. Crepy-en-Valois is a town located approximately 60km (37m) northeast of centre of Paris.
— Jack Moore (@JFXM) January 8, 2015
The leader of France’s rightwing Front National (FN), Marine Le Pen, has announced she would reintroduce the death penalty if she wins France’s 2017 presidential election.
“I personally believe that the death penalty should exist in our legal arsenal,” Le Pen told television channel France 2.
“I always said that I would offer French citizens the possibility to express themselves on the topic through a referendum,” she added.
Au pied du Mont-Blanc aussi, #jesuischarliepic.twitter.com/28SN5YSCRF
— Quentin Baulier (@baulier) January 8, 2015
An armed man was sighted in Paris’ La Defense business district, according to reports. It is unknown if he is the same individual suspected in the La porte de Chatillon attack earlier on Thursday, which left one police officer dead and a city employee critically injured.
Employees at La Defense, Europe's largest purpose-built business district, have been told not to leave their offices following reports of the gunman. Helicopters have been reported hovering in the area.
Updated our #JeSuisCharlie@RebelMouse with photos of minute of silence observed across France https://t.co/bD7RUR1Gjn
— Malachy Browne (@malachybrowne) January 8, 2015
One of the suspected gunmen in the attack on the Charlie Hebdo office reportedly held up a gas station pumpworker at Villers-Cotteret in route to Paris, Le Parisien. Police have reportedly blocked a nearby road.
The manager of the petrol station near he had "recognized the two men suspected of having participated in the attack against Charlie Hebdo", sources close to the manhunt told AFP.
The question of whether or not to reprint cartoons from the satirical French weekly Charlie Hebdo has been mulled over by the editorial staffs of many Western news outlets. BuzzFeed and the Huffington Post include themselves among media to have reprinted some of the more controversial illustrations, which are believed to have inspired Wednesday’s attack.
CNN was one several outlets that showed the cartoons, but blurred out depictions of the Prophet Muhammad. The New York Times and The Washington Post have stated they do not intend to reprint cartoons from the French weekly in any form.
Amidst 100s gathered as close to #CharlieHebdo office as we can get… France observes silence… Notre Dame bells ring pic.twitter.com/RbTC6Si5Hy
— Christiane Amanpour (@camanpour) January 8, 2015
Several Muslim places of worship have been the target of attack since Wednesday night. Following reports of an attack on a kebab shop in the Eastern French town of Villefranche on Thursday, four training grenades were thrown into the courtyard of a mosque in the French city of Le Mans. One of the grenades exploded, but no injuries were reported. A gunshot was also reported overnight, with the bullet hitting the mosque.
An assailant also opened fire near a Muslim prayer room in the Port-la-Nouvelle district near Narbonne in southern France on Wednesday night. The door to the room was damaged and a window was broken, but no injuries were reported in the attack. The local prosecutor told AFP the room was empty at the time of the attack.
An investigation into the incident is currently underway.
Parisians gather under umbrellas for a minute's silence in front of Notre Dame. pic.twitter.com/S8ofHSMdkQ
— NickdMiller (@NickdMiller) January 8, 2015
Two suspects in the Charlie Hebdo shooting have been tracked down in the Picardy region of northern France, sources say, according to AFP. The men were traveling in a Renault Clio, they were reportedly armed and wearing hoods, Le Parisien reported.
The manager of a petrol station near Villers-Cotteret commune "recognized the two men suspected of having participated in the attack against Charlie Hebdo," sources close to the manhunt told AFP.
La station service de l'Aisne ou les suspects auraient été repérés a été bouclée #AFPpic.twitter.com/hPMtFQofFN
— François Becker (@beckerin_AFP) January 8, 2015
European Parliament members observed a minute of silence in front of their Brussels HQ to show solidarity with French citizens and the victims of the massacre at the Charlie Hebdo newspaper in Paris. Thousands of Brussels residents joined the event.
“We have learnt with great shock and sadness of the terrorist attack against the Paris office of weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo. This heinous act is an attack against our values of freedom of expression and freedom of the press, against tolerance and mutual respect. I condemn it strongly,” said EP President Martin Schulz.
“On behalf of the European Parliament, I express my condolences to the families and friends of the victims,” he added.
Crowds gather outside @Europarl_EN in #Brussels 4 #minuteofsilence#parisattack#violence#terrorism@France24_enpic.twitter.com/lGUPBAv2nF
— Méabh (@Brusselsness) January 8, 2015
#JeSuisCharliepic.twitter.com/FemSQlkg46
— European Commission (@EU_Commission) January 8, 2015
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) January 8, 2015
La une du Monde: le 11 septembre français pic.twitter.com/UZbDRYWolm
— Leparmentier Arnaud (@ArLeparmentier) January 8, 2015
An explosion has been reported in a restaurant near a mosque in Villefranche-sur-Saone, eastern France.
Explosion near mosque in Villefranche at 6 am local time this morning. No injuries http://t.co/Kw0T6diR50pic.twitter.com/QGT38mcN4t
— Breaking 3.0 U.S. (@Breaking3zeroUS) January 8, 2015
I am afraid that is linked to the dramatic event that occurred on Wednesday," the mayor of Villefranche Perrut Bernard, who was at the scene of the blast, told the French daily Le Progress.
There are no reports of any injuries and the cause of the blast remains unknown.
One police officer has been severely injured in a shooting near La porte de Chatillon, on the outskirts of Paris, French media report. The suspect reportedly opened fire at two police officers, injuring one seriously, reported French Radio RTL. The shooter has reportedly been arrested.
Avenue Pierre brossolette tout est bouclé #portedechatillonpic.twitter.com/vwifaaz7tD
— Oihana Gabriel (@OihanaGabriel) January 8, 2015
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said that several arrests had been made overnight following the deadly attack on the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo. Speaking with RTL radio, Valls said preventing another attack “is our main concern.”
Mourad Hamyd, 18, who had earlier been identified as a suspect in the deadly shooting, turned himself in at a police station in Charleville-Mezieres, a small town in France's eastern Champagne region, AP cites the Paris prosecutor's spokeswoman as saying. Hamyd’s alleged connection to the attack remains unclear.
French police have identified one of the two officers killed in the shooting attack at the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris. The victim was 42-year-old Ahmed Merabet, a follower of Islam, media reported.
READ MORE: One police officer killed in Charlie Hebdo attack was Muslim
Ahmed Merabet, a French #Muslim Cop, first victim of #CharlieHebdo attack, #JeSuisCharlie#IamCharlie#ParisShootingpic.twitter.com/G8D3mixbjX
— Magnificent (@Ironyisfunny8) January 8, 2015
Dutch newspaper cartoonists made all cartoons black in protest what happened at #CharlieHebdo. (Via @meneer ) pic.twitter.com/Ovjyc9ZnQt
— αηιs (@H0XH4) January 8, 2015
#JeSuisCharlie: Never has a media been so targeted & its staff killed in such extreme violence http://t.co/X8MLq9fUjTpic.twitter.com/LUB8zOzowi
— UNESCO (@UNESCO) January 7, 2015
One of the suspects, Chérif Kouachi, was sentenced to three years in prison in 2008, reported Le Monde. He took part in a Paris-based group that recruited candidates to fight with jihadists in Iraq.
He was also convicted on terror charges in 2010.
There have been over 2 million tweets mentioning #JeSuisCharlie, standing in solidarity: http://t.co/qMli6TqAHypic.twitter.com/t5s81CPqHC
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) January 7, 2015
WOW, a heat-map showing where people tweet with the hashtag #JeSuisCharlie, via @EjmAlrai#CharlieHebdopic.twitter.com/ZkHQ9B3U7r
— Yury Barmin (@yurybarmin) January 7, 2015
RIGHT NOW: #JeSuisCharlie at Union Square in New York Via @louiserougpic.twitter.com/S60yQ5lF5P
— Anonymous (@YourAnonGlobal) January 8, 2015
Wow. RT @mohamedjievara: Paris tonight. #JeSuisCharlie#CharlieHebdopic.twitter.com/AzBzYpn9Vm
— Julian Sanchez (@normative) January 8, 2015
The third suspect, 18-year-old Hamyd Mourad, said he was in college at the time the massacre happened in the headquarters of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in central Paris, reported French iTele.
The 18-year-old Hamyd Mourad reportedly handed himself in at a police station in Charleville Mézières after seeing his name on the list of shooting suspects on social media, French media reports.
According to French channel iTele, Mourad claims to have alibi of his innocence, which is being investigated.
Police have officially released names and photos of two Paris shooting suspects, AFP reports.
BREAKING NEWS: French police release pictures of brothers wanted over magazine massacre. SHARE! #ParisShootingpic.twitter.com/C6lYvuqP8v
— Breaking News Feed (@PzFeed) January 8, 2015
The youngest of the three suspects in the Paris shooting has surrendered to police, AFP reported citing sources. Earlier reports identified the man as 18-year-old Hamyd Mourad.
#BREAKING: Youngest of three suspects in Paris attack surrenders to police, sources say
— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) January 8, 2015
.
#PHOTO Vigils held around the world after deadly attack on #CharlieHebdo in Paris. #JeSuisCharliepic.twitter.com/W8ZUSSxFbE
— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) January 8, 2015
Police have arrested one man following a raid in the northern commune of Charleville Mézières, local channel iTele reports.
However, the individual was detained for questioning as a relative of a shooting suspect, and is not a suspect himself, the French media outlet said.
Charleville Mézières is located within an hour’s drive from Reims, where one of the suspects reportedly lives, close to the Belgian border. It is believed that the gunmen managed to escape Paris in a stolen car.
.
BREAKING: 2nd major anti-terror operation underway in Charleville Mézières - @Ruptly sourcing footage #CharlieHebdo
— Ruptly Newsroom (@RuptlyNewsroom) January 8, 2015
The majority of officers taking part in the anti-terror operation in Reims have left the scene of the raid, French media reported, adding that it was a search operation.
Conflicting reports said that two suspects have been arrested and one killed. Neither officials nor local media have confirmed this information.
Beaucoup de policiers ont déjà quitté les lieux de la perquisition. Un ensemble d'immeubles reste sous surveillance. pic.twitter.com/FKlCuPNUx5
— Charles-Henry Boudet (@MisterCHCH) January 7, 2015
07 January 2015
.
UPDATE: Pictures of anti-terror operation underway in #Reims. Source: @cahitstorm. @Ruptly video in 30 mins pic.twitter.com/iajcoBkdtf
— Ruptly Newsroom (@RuptlyNewsroom) January 7, 2015
China has condemned the terrorist shooting at the French magazine in Paris, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said in a statement.
“We are deeply shocked by the terrorist attack and strongly condemn it...We grieve for the victims and send our condolences to the relatives of the victims,” said the statement. “China is firmly against all forms of terrorism and supports France in its efforts to preserve security.”
.
В Реймсе проходит операция по задержанию подозреваемых в теракте #CharlieHebdopic.twitter.com/mlkG2krRsR
— Xenia Fedorova (@xfedorova) January 7, 2015
RT's Ruptly agency reported sounds of gunfire, citing witnesses in Reims, after a special police assault team surrounded a building in a council estate where at least two of the suspects were believed to be hiding.
Intervention pic.twitter.com/rSw6abAlqR
— Charles-Henry Boudet (@MisterCHCH) January 7, 2015
Anti-terror police have surrounded a building in the northeastern city of Reims, with at least two suspects thought to be hiding inside, AFP reported.
“We are going in soon. Either there is going to be a shoot out or they have got away, tipped off by social media,” an officer said.
BREAKING: Reports commandos will raid property in #Reims in coming minutes #JeSuisCharlie
— Ruptly Newsroom (@RuptlyNewsroom) January 7, 2015
.
Special operation of Police in Reims http://t.co/nwcNjd1fSDpic.twitter.com/uo1aqbg3OB via @cahitstorm
— Liveuamap World (@lumworld) January 7, 2015
Police announced an anti-terror raid in the northeastern city of Reims, AFP reported. It follows reports that the suspects in the terror attack on the Charlie Hebdo HQ in Paris were identified, and some of them live in Reims.
Dozens of police officers have arrived in Reims, located just northeast of Paris, French media reports.
Près d'une centaine de policiers arrivent à #Reims en ce moment même. Ils s'installent chez les #CRS33#CharlieHebdopic.twitter.com/Dn8aC6HD3u
— Charles-Henry Boudet (@MisterCHCH) January 7, 2015
The three attackers have been identified as Said Kouachi, 34, Cherif Kouachi, 32, and Hamyd Mourad, 18, AP reported citing French police.
Russian President Vladimir Putin called French President Francois Hollande to express his sincere condolences, and condemned the deadly terror attack in Paris.
"The Head of the State has condemned this cynical crime and has confirmed readiness to continue cooperation in the fight against terror threats," said the statement on the Kremlin's official website.
.
Unverified reports that one of Charlie Hebdo terrorists dropped his ID at scene of attack. pic.twitter.com/0ruEYDBee2
— Polly Boiko (@Polly_Boiko) January 7, 2015
French President Francois Hollande has declared Thursday a national day of mourning following the attack on the Charlie Hebdo HQ in Paris.
Police have identified the suspects behind the attack and raided their houses in the Parisian suburbs, i24News reported, citing French media. The suspects’ ages are listed as 34, 32, and 18 years old.
La Libération reports that the three suspects connected to the mass shooting have been arrested in Reims, but the Interior Ministry has not yet confirmed these reports. The men have been identified as Said K. and Sherif K. and Hamyd M.
Police are searching for two Paris region brothers and a third man allegedly from the Reims area in connection with the attack on Charlie Hebdo, Reuters reports citing a police source.
The Elysée has tweeted a picture of Hollande taking a call from US President Barak Obama.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters that Obama has offered US condolences and support.
Le président @BarackObama a exprimé au président @fhollande la solidarité des États-Unis #CharlieHebdopic.twitter.com/fusCjJWCq5
— Élysée (@Elysee) January 7, 2015
In a press conference French President Hollande said that the assailants responsible for the massacre will be caught and dealt with “severely.”
“We will win because we have all the capacity to believe in our destiny,” he said. “Liberty will always be stronger than barbarism.”
Holland announced that Thursday is to be a national day of mourning and that flags will be lowered to half-mast for three days. A moment of silence will be held at noon tomorrow.
The gunmen reportedly spoke perfect French and acted like well-trained militants, in what appears to have been a well-planned attack, Reuters reports.
"Clearly there was a reconnaissance operation beforehand," founder of the TERR(o)RISC security consultancy Anne Giudicelli told Reuters. "They found a chink in the security arrangement and chose a method guaranteeing success."
President Hollande is set to hold a second crisis meeting at the Elysée Palace Thursday at 8am, according to Le Figaro. The president, prime Minister Manuel Valls, other ministers and security chiefs will be in attendance.
Spain has raised the country's perceived security threat level from a 2 to a 3 out of a possible four marks, Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz told reporters.
Fernandez Diaz added that the move means instating additional measures for protecting the country’s infrastructure.
One of the slain officers had been charged with protecting chief editor and cartoonist Stephane ‘Charb’ Charbonnier who was also killed in the attack, according the The Local.
The other policeman, identified as Ahmed Merabet, was an area patrolmen for the 11th arrondissement.
The FBI is working with French security forces to find those responsible for the attack, said the US agency’s director, James Comey, while speaking at the International Conference on Cyber Security in New York.
UN Security Council has condemned “barbaric and cowardly terrorist attack” at Charlie Hebdo office.
The French will not take this sitting down. Crowds forming in Paris in a demonstration of solidarity #JeSuisCharliepic.twitter.com/6ujWYix7Ba
— Mikey Kay (@MikeyKayNYC) January 7, 2015
In Moscow, people paying their condolences have been leaving flowers, candles, and cartoons at the French Embassy.
Принесли распечатанные карикатуры
Фото опубликовано Alina Grebneva (@aligatorsha) Янв 1, 2015 at 9:33 PST
An Islamic State militant praised the attack on the French satirical magazine.
"The lions of Islam have avenged our Prophet," Abu Mussab, who fights for IS insurgents in Syria, told Reuters via internet connection. "These are our lions. It's the first drops – more will follow," he said, speaking via an internet connection from Syria. He added that he and his fellow fighters are happy about the incident.
Mussab said he did not know the gunmen who carried out the attack, but added "they are on the path of the emir [IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi]....and our Sheikh Osama (bin Laden)."
UPDATE: People in #Paris raise pens during rally in support of #CharlieHebdo attack victims #JeSuisCharliepic.twitter.com/4CJb3T2ZDp
— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) January 7, 2015
Gathering in front of French consulate in Brussels #JeSuisCharlie#CharlieHebdopic.twitter.com/bieEYqlWrU
— Tesa Arcilla (@TesaArcilla) January 7, 2015
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in a statement condemned the "terrible terrorist attack,” which he also described as a "horrendous, unjustifiable and cold-blooded crime." He said that this “attack is meant to divide” and urged “not fall into that trap."
Islam’s heartland Saudi Arabia condemned the attack on Charlie Hebdo.
"…The kingdom therefore strongly condemns and denounces this cowardly terrorist act that is rejected by [the] true Islamic religion as well as the rest of the religions and beliefs," said an unnamed official, as quoted by the Saudi state news agency SPA.
People have started gathering in central Paris to express solidarity and condemn the deadly attack on the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine.
Foule de plus en plus dense Place de la République #CharlieHebdopic.twitter.com/47up3zbLZB
— Maxime Goldbaum (@MaximeGoldbaum) January 7, 2015
The fifth victim of the attack has been named as writer and economist Bernard Maris, AFP reported.
Can't sleep tonight, thoughts with my French cartooning colleagues, their families and loved ones #CharlieHebdopic.twitter.com/LqIMRCHPgK
— David Pope (@davpope) January 7, 2015
College students stand in solidarity with Charlie Hebdo.
Delphine Lahondé & Jade Vincent, 2 college students (Paris 8) came w/ classmates to show their support #CharlieHebdopic.twitter.com/w1TyyYcZ0S
— Anaïs Bordages (@AnaisBordages) January 7, 2015
Spanish media group Prisa has said that the suspicious package received earlier does not contain anything dangerous, Reuters reports.
A car has caught fire outside of a synagogue in Sarcelles, a town some 10 kilometers north of Paris. Authorities are saying that the fire is not linked to the attack on the Charlie Hebdo headquarters.
“It was an accident. It was not an attack,” Francois Pupponi, the mayor of the town, told metronews. “There was a man behind the wheel, when the car caught fire.”
BREAKING: FRANCE - REPORTS OF AN EXPLOSION IN THE CITY OF SARCELLES OUTSIDE A SYNAGOGUE - A CAR EXPLODED pic.twitter.com/LC2TGmZoX1
— Breaking News (@NewsOnTheMin) January 7, 2015
Social media users are sharing an image with the words "Je suis Charlie" or "I am Charlie" in a show of solidarity with victims of the attack.
I stand in solidarity with journalists of @Charlie_Hebdo_#JeSuisCharliepic.twitter.com/mTpjfQtR9U
— Refik Hodzic (@ledenik1) January 7, 2015
Reuters reports that Spanish media group Prisa has evacuated its Madrid headquarters after receiving a suspicious pacakage.
Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, whose cartoons featuring the Prophet Mohammed triggered worldwide protests ten years ago, has announced that security levels at its offices have been increased in an email to employees.
The Obama administration has pledged to provide any assistance needed 'to help bring these terrorists to justice.'
Paris mosque imam Dalil Boubakeur jas has called the deadly shooting “a thunderous declaration of war.”
"We absolutely condemn such an act and we look forward to the authorities meting out justice,” he was quoted as saying be Le Figaro.
The Arab League and top Islamic University Al-Azhar have also condemned attack in Paris.
Former President Nicolas Sarkozy has condemned the attack, saying "our democracy has been attacked, and we need to defend it without weakeness."
Flags across France have been lowered in mourning for victims of the attack, according to reports.
The assault was probably organized because the attackers knew the magazine was under police protection for several months due to the threats it had received, political journalist Barry Lando, who is in Paris, told RT.
“This event was obviously carefully planned, because they knew police were there, so they took out police as well,” Lando said, stressing that threats to the magazine have been coming for years, but “this time they broke through.”
Lando believes this incident could have a huge impact on the whole question of immigrants and Islam in Europe, pointing out that in Germany tensions over immigrants have been mounting “stronger than ever before.”
“This attack is going to tie into that,” Lando said, stressing that reaction across Europe is going to be “very strong.”
Le Fiagro reports that a rally is planned for 7pm at Place de la Republique in central Paris.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has expressed “feelings of absolute horror" at the attack. In a statement, Hidalgo called the victims of the attack “martyrs of liberty, freedom of the press, and pillars of democracy and the Republic.”
Four famous French cartoonists, Cabu, Wolinski, Charb and Tignous and economist Bernard Mariswere were killed in the attack, France24 reports citing Charlie Hebdo’s lawyer.
AFP reports that an emergency ministerial meeting at Elysée palace is currently underway.
RT @Adelina_CdC: #CharlieHabdo victims via @BFMTV: Cabu, Wolinski, Charb, Tignous http://t.co/ZRWSJYzomLpic.twitter.com/Nz9NMIMSQA"
— Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) January 7, 2015
Russia condemns terrorism in all of its forms, said presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov. He told RIA Novosti that there is never a justification for terrorism and we must unite and cooperate in the fight against it.
Le Figaro reports that acclaimed cartoonists Jean “Cabu” Cabut, Stéphane "Charb" Charbonnier and Georges Wolinski are among the those killed in the attack.
The Muslim Council has condemned the attack as a "barbaric act" against "democracy," according to Le Monde.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel says Germany stands by France in this difficult moment.
"This abominable act is not only an attack on the lives of French citizens and their security," Merkel said in a statement. "It is also an attack on freedom of speech and the press, core elements of our free democratic culture. In no way can this be justified."
Children are being evacuated from schools in the 11th arrondissement, where the attack occurred, Le Monde reports.
Director-general of Unesco Irina Bokova has condemned the attack:
“I am horrified by this shocking attack against the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo. My heart goes out to the families of the bereaved and to those who have been injured.
This is more than a personal tragedy. It is an attack on the media and freedom of expression. The world community cannot allow extremists to silence the free flow of opinions and ideas.
We must work together to bring the perpetrators to justice and stand together for a free and independent press."
US President Barack Obama has condemned the attack in the “strongest possible terms.” His spokesperson said all of the White House is in solidarity with the families of those killed and injured in the attack.
“The United States stand ready to work closely with the French” to help them probe the attack, he said.
Cartoonist and journalist Stéphane Charbonnier, known as Charb, is in critical condition, Liberation newspaper reports. In 2013 Al-Qaeda included him in its Wanted List for producing cartoons about the Prophet Muhammad.
The three gunmen reportedly got into a getaway vehicle driven by a fourth man as they fled the building. The men drove towards northeast Paris, where they hijacked a second car, throwing the driver out onto the street, spokesperson for the Unité police union, Rocco Contento told reporters.
Extra security that had been put in place at the Charlie Hedbo offices in recent weeks because of threats against the satirical paper.
President Francois Hollande is set to give a television press conference at 8pm in Paris.
Le Monde journo @EliseBarthet tweets pic of "#CharlieHebdo shooters facing a police car, open fire." pic.twitter.com/Fo1Usm1F5I#France#Paris
— Tesa Arcilla (@TesaArcilla) January 7, 2015
French police have confirmed that 12 people have been killed in the shooting.
#PARIS UPDATE: 12 confirmed dead #CharlieHebdo
— Ruptly Newsroom (@RuptlyNewsroom) January 7, 2015
One of the videos of the attack, posted on Facebook, showed the killing of a police officer. The video was quickly removed from the network.
Horrifying video shows Paris gunmen brutally slaughter police officer on street pic.twitter.com/JgsuVqIgiZ
— Breaking News Feed (@PzFeed) January 7, 2015
Amateur videos of the attack have been posted online. Gunshots can be heard as well as shouts of "Allahu Akbar!"
According to Hollande, the shooting at Charlie Hebdo is “undoubtedly a terrorist attack”.
The French president has confirmed that 11 people have been killed and four are critically injured, while at least 40 were “saved.” The numbers of victims is likely to rise, he added.
Hollande also spoke about "several terrorist attacks have been prevented in recent weeks."
#CharlieHebdo office shooting in #Paris (photo via: @yvecresson) pic.twitter.com/WCz080tmaH
— Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) January 7, 2015
The French government said it was raising national security level to the highest notch, according to Reuters.
#France president on site #charliehebdopic.twitter.com/zcCTXTz9Lq
— Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) January 7, 2015
French President Francois Hollande has arrived at the scene of the shooting, and will shortly hold an emergency government meeting, according to Reuters, citing a source at the president’s office.
The murders in Paris are sickening. We stand with the French people in the fight against terror and defending the freedom of the press.
— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) January 7, 2015
Eleven people, two of them policemen, have been killed and 10 wounded in the shooting massacre at the Paris headquarters of satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo. Five of the wounded are in critical condition.
Two police officers are among the dead, AFP reports.
Via @yvecresson: chez Charlie The scene is #Parispic.twitter.com/MQgUx3IIF2
— Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) January 7, 2015
A manhunt is currently underway in Paris, Le Point reported, with the anti-crime brigade (BAC) chasing two armed men in the eleventh district of Paris.
About thirty shots were fired, according to Reuters.
"About a half an hour ago two black-hooded men entered the building with Kalashnikovs. A few minutes later we heard lots of shots," a witness told local TV station iTele, adding that the men were then seen fleeing the building.
Attaque en cours de deux hommes en cagoule dans les locaux de CharlieHebdo. On est réfugié sur le toit pic.twitter.com/0TqFwIVJoF
— Martin Boudot (@MartinBoudot) January 7, 2015
The Prosecutor’s office has confirmed 10 deaths in the massacre.