Deadly
attack on satirical magazine in Paris
Three heavily armed men have attacked a French satirical magazine
based in Paris
The lawyer of the magazine confirmed that four cartoonists
working with the publication, including the editor Stephane Charbonnier, known
as 'Charb', were among the dead. Police said 11 people were wounded in the
incident, adding that four were in a critical condition.
The cartoonists known as Cabu,
Tignous and Wolinski were also killed in the attack, AFP news agency quoted a
judicial source as saying.
Charlie Hebdo has drawn repeated threats for
publishing caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad, among other
controversial sketches.
French Interior Minister Bernard
Cazeneuve said the assault was carried out by three attackers.
According to witnesses, one was a
driver and the other two were attackers in terms of their role in the incident,
police said.
In amateur camera footage shared on the internet, the
attackers are heard shouting: "We have avenged the Prophet Mohammad."
The gunmen fled eastwards towards the suburbs, dumping
their car in a residential area, police said. They then hijacked two other cars,
wounded their drivers and ran over a pedestrian.
Al Jazeera's Jacky Rowland,
reporting from Paris
"Some journalists took refuge on the roof,"
Rowland said.
"Charlie Hebdo has pushed boundaries in the
past, and continues to challenge the idea of censorship."
President Francois Hollande, speaking outside the office of the magazine, described the attack as having been carried out by barbaric people.
"This is an attack on free speech." he told reporters. "No one can harm the spirit of this country which is this newspaper".
President Francois Hollande, speaking outside the office of the magazine, described the attack as having been carried out by barbaric people.
"This is an attack on free speech." he told reporters. "No one can harm the spirit of this country which is this newspaper".
The magazine had tweeted acartoon of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi,
the leader of the Islamic State in Iraq
"This extremely grave barbaric
action is also an attack against democracy and the freedom of the press,"
the French Muslim Council (CFCM) said in a statement.
The body represents France 's Muslim community, which is Europe 's biggest and estimated to number between 3.5
million and five million people.
Hollande held a cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace
Huge crowds gathered in Paris and other major cities in France
Demonstrators in Paris were seen
holding up banners in support of free speech, including one written, "Je
suis Charlie (I am Charlie)", a slogan that has gone viral on social
media.
French authorities said that school
trips and all school outdoor activities have been cancelled until further
notice while the gunmen are at large.
US President Barack Obama's
spokesman said the US
Josh Earnest said US
Earnest said the French have been
"stalwart allies" in the US
Various countries, including Russia , Qatar ,
Kuwait , Britain , Germany ,
Turkey , Saudi Arabia , Iran
and Canada
KEY WORDS
confirm: 證實
hijack：劫機
refuge:避難
confirm: 證實
hijack：劫機
refuge:避難
What: Three armed men have attacked a
French satirical magazine based
Where: in Paris
When: NOT GIVEN
Why: NOT GIVEN
How: NOT
GIVEN
