At Least 12 Dead in Shooting at Charlie Hebdo

Washington Times:

At least 10 people were killed in a mass shooting at a newspaper in Paris, the Charlie Hebdo, known for taking satirical potshots at Muslim leaders, Reuters reported.

One of the dead was a journalist; three police were also wounded, The Associated Press reported.

Reuters reported it’s the same newspaper that’s been bombed in the past for publishing cartoons about Muslim leaders.

France’s Info radio said police at the scene said another five have been injured.

“About a half an hour ago, two black-hooded men entered the building with Klashnikovs,” Benoit Bringer, a witness to the incident, told the French station. “A few minutes later, we heard lots of shots.”

The attackers escaped and an alert has been sent through the community, said Luc Poignant, an official with the SBP police union, AP reported.

UPDATE CNN:

Paris (CNN)At least 11 people were killed and four were seriously wounded in Wednesday’s attack at the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris, French President Francois Hollande told reporters.

“This is a terrorist attack, there is no doubt about this,” he said.

• Journalists and policemen are among the victims in the attack, Hollande said. He said it would be a few hours before a definite number of injured is known.

• British Prime Minister David Cameron reacted to the deadly shooting, saying on Twitter: “The murders in Paris are sickening. We stand with the French people in the fight against terror and defending the freedom of the press.”

The BBC is reporting 12 Dead, including 2 policemen, 10 injured:

12:42 – these are London time.

A Twitter campaign pledging support for the victims and the French magazine is gaining traction within moments of the first #JeSuisCharlie hashtag being posted.

• Posted at 12:40

  The White House has condemned the attack

• Posted at 12:39

  The attack took place in a busy part of Paris, not far from the centre and a passer-by tells the BBC: “The street’s [often] used by drivers and Parisians to go from a place to another. The office is actually located in a place where a lot of people are going through.”

• Posted at 12:37

  More pictures have emerged from the scene.

  

• Posted at 12:37

  The radical Islamic State group threatened to attack France minutes before Hebdo tweeted a satirical cartoon of the extremist group’s leader giving New Year’s wishes, AP says.

• Posted at 12:34

  The masked gunmen who carried out Wednesday’s attack committed France’s deadliest terror attack in at least two decades, AP says.

• Posted at 12:33

  French President Francois Hollande (second on the left) talks to the press upon his arrival at the headquarters of the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo.

  

• Posted at 12:32

  Two of the gunmen were dressed in typical jihadist “uniform” of black balaclavas, khaki ammunition pouches and were armed with Kalashnikovs, the BBC’s Frank Gardner reports. They were heard shouting “Allahu Akbar”.

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  Posted at 12:28

  The gunmen were armed with Kalashnikovs and a rocket-launcher, AFP reports.

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  Posted at 12:26

  The attack happened in central Paris, near some of the capital’s most famous tourist attractions.

  

• Posted at 12:26

  Gunmen who carried out the attack are still at large, French prosecutor says.

• Posted at 12:25

  This is the latest edition of the magazine, showing controversial French novelist Michel Houellebecq.

  

• Posted at 12:23

  Witnesses spoke of sustained gunfire at the Hebdo offices, the BBC’s Hugh Schofield in Paris reports, as the attackers opened fire with assault rifles.

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  Posted at 12:22

  The 12 dead include two police officers, police say.

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  Posted at 12:21

  Twelve people have been killed in the attack, police say.

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  Posted at 12:21

  France TV Info says that gunman is heard shouting “God is great” in Arabic in a video of shooting.

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  Posted at 12:19

  People stand outside the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo’s office after the shooting.

  

• Posted at 12:17

  More from President Hollande: “We must react with firmness, but with consideration for national unity. We are in a difficult moment – several attacks have been avoided. We knew we were threatened because we are a country of freedom. We will punish the attackers.”

• Posted at 12:16

  Witnesses quoted by French Europe 1 radio say that one of the attackers shouted “The prophet was avenged” while carrying out the assault.

• Posted at 12:14

  France has reinforced security at places of worship, shops, media offices and transportation, AP reports.

• Posted at 12:14

  “Nobody in France should think that they can behave against the principle of the Republic and harm the spirit of the Republic, embodied by a newspaper,” President Hollande said. “Today I am thinking about the victims – 11 are dead, 4 are fighting for their lives. We should do whatever we can to find those responsible and to call for national unity.”