Hooded gunmen shot dead at least 12 people at the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo, a satirical publication firebombed in the past after publishing images lampooning Muslim leaders, in the worst militant attack on French soil in recent decades.
Another 20 people were injured, including five critically, in the incident. Police union official Rocco Contento described the scene inside the offices as “carnage.”
The newspaper’s editor, Stéphane Charbonnier — who went by the pen name “Charb” — and three prominent cartoonists also widely known under pen names — Jean Cabut (“Cabu”), Bernard Verlhac (“Tignous”) and Georges Wolinski (“Wolinski”) — are among the dead, police said.
A police official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation said two police officers were also among the dead, including one assigned as Charbonnier’s bodyguard after prior death threats against him.
Luc Poignant, another police union official, said the attackers escaped in a waiting car and later switched to another vehicle that had been stolen and drove into the suburbs of east Paris. France’s top security official said a total of 3 gunmen were involved and that security forces are actively searching for the shooters.
French President François Hollande was at the scene of Wednesday’s shooting and had ordered top government officials to convene an emergency meeting.
Source: Nigerianewsupdate
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