Charlie Hebdo: Gun attack on French magazine kills 12 7th January, 2015 ============================================ Gunmen have shot dead 12 people at the Paris office of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in an apparent militant Islamist attack. Four of the magazines well-known cartoonists, including its editor, were among those killed, as well as two police officers. A major police operation is under way to find three gunmen who fled by car. President Francois Hollande said there was no doubt it had been a terrorist attack of exceptional barbarity. It is believed to be the deadliest attack in France since 1961, when right-wingers who wanted to keep Algeria French bombed a train, killing 28 people. The masked attackers opened fire with assault rifles in the office and exchanged shots with police in the street outside before escaping by car. They later abandoned the car in Rue de Meaux, northern Paris, where they hijacked a second car. Death threats Witnesses said they heard the gunmen shouting We have avenged the Prophet Muhammad and God is Great in Arabic (Allahu Akbar). The number of attackers was initially reported to be two, but French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve later said security services were hunting three criminals. He said that Paris had been placed on the highest alert. Those killed (from left) include economist Bernard Maris, prominent cartoonists Wolinski and Cabu, Charlie Hebdo editor Stephane Charbonnier and cartoonist Bernard Verlhac • Charlie Hebdo editor and cartoonist Stephane Charb Charbonnier, 47, who had been living under police protection since receiving death threats • Cartoonists Jean Cabu Cabut, 76, Bernard Tignous Verlhac, 57, Georges Wolinski, 80, and Philippe Honore, 73 • Economist and regular magazine columnist Bernard Maris, 68, known to readers as Uncle Bernard • Mustapha Ourrad, proof-reader • Elsa Cayat, psychoanalyst and columnist, the only woman killed • Michel Renaud, who was visiting from the city of Clermont-Ferrand • Frederic Boisseau, 42, caretaker, who was in the reception area at the time of the attack • Police officers Franck Brinsolaro, who acted as Charbs bodyguard, and Ahmed Merabet, 42, who was shot dead while on the ground.
Posted on: Thu, 08 Jan 2015 13:08:17 +0000
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