By: NPR
Source: NPR
At least 12 people were killed during a shooting at the headquarters of the satirical Charlie Hebdo weekly in Paris, police say. Two key suspects remain at large (see our latest post for updates).
The authorities had been hunting three suspects in the attack; they were reportedly identified by police late Wednesday, and multiple French media outlets, citing a police bulletin, say they are two brothers, Said and Cherif Kouachi, and a third man, Hamyd Mourad.
The Kouachi brothers, both in their 30s, are said to be French citizens; there’s no word on the nationality of Mourad, 18.
Mourad surrendered to police late Wednesday, according to multiple reports in French media. It’s not clear whether he had a role in the violence; Mourad’s ID card was reportedly found in a car the gunmen used.
Police have conducted operations related to their investigation in Paris as well as Reims, some 90 miles to the east.
Speaking to reporters at the scene of today’s attack, President Francois Hollande said this was a “terrorist operation” in which journalists were “cowardly assassinated.”
“France today faced a shock,” Hollande said, according to a BBC interpreter. “Today I’m thinking about the victims.”
Many in France gathered in the streets Wednesday evening, holding up signs reading “Je Suis Charlie” — I Am Charlie — in a show of respect toward those slain and defiance toward the attackers.
“There is a feeling of togetherness,” says NPR’s Eleanor Beardsley, who visited a large vigil at the Place de la Republique. “Everyone out there was chanting, ‘We are all Charlie.’ ”
Similar gatherings are being held outside the country — including in Germany, Britain, and the U.S. The phrase also became a top-trending hashtag on Twitter.
Several large French media companies united to send a letter of support to Charlie Hebdo’s staff, offering to help them continue publishing and stressing the importance of “preserving the principles of independence and liberty of thought and expression.”
In a televised briefing, Paris Prosecutor Francois Molins said “at least two” gunmen entered the offices of the magazine at about 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Paris time.
Eleanor reports that the men first shot and killed a police officer stationed at the magazine, then walked up to the second floor newsroom and opened fire.
Four of the magazine’s founding cartoonists were killed in the attack. Eleven other people were injured, four of whom are in critical condition.
One video broadcast on French television shows two masked men leaving the building and then trading fire with a police officer. The officer is injured and one of the men stands above him and kills him at point-blank range. Eleanor says during the exchange, one of the men shouts, “We have avenged the Prophet Muhammad.”
Authorities have not yet determined a motive and no organization has taken responsibility.
Of the 12 killed, two were police officers and eight were journalists, said Molins.
The gunmen then got into a black vehicle to escape. They went to a Paris suburb where they abandoned their car and jumped into another.
A massive manhunt ensued in the Paris area, with some school trips canceled and some metros closed. France has also beefed up its security, which Hollande said would help apprehend those who perpetrated the attack.
Charlie Hebdo is a magazine that has faced threats over its content in the past. Back in 2011, the weekly printed a drawing of the Prophet Muhammad. Afterward, its offices were destroyed in a firebomb attack.
This is a breaking news story. As often happens in situations like these, some information reported early may turn out to be inaccurate. We’ll move quickly to correct the record and we’ll only point to the best information we have at the time. Refresh this page for the latest.