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France's interior minister says security forces are hunting for three gunmen who stormed the offices of a satirical newspaper in Paris, killing 12 people. Masked gunmen shouting "Allahu akbar!" stormed the offices Wednesday before escaping. It was France's deadliest terror attack in at least two decades.
Minister Bernard Cazeneuve promised to give the people of France the highest level of protection after the attack on the weekly paper Charlie Hebdo. The gunmen killed its editor and at least one cartoonist as well as two police officers guarding the paper.
The gunmen escaped in a waiting car, according to video filmed by witnesses.
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With a manhunt on, French President Francois Hollande called the attack on Charlie Hebdo, whose caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad have frequently drawn condemnation from Muslims, "a terrorist attack without a doubt." He said several other attacks have been thwarted in France "in recent weeks."
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which the Paris prosecutor's office confirmed killed 12 people, including editor and cartoonists.
France reinforced protective measures at houses of worship, stores, media offices and transportation. Top government officials were holding an emergency meeting and Hollande planned a nationally televised address in the evening. Schools closed their doors.
World leaders including President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel condemned the attack, but supporters of the militant Islamic State group celebrated the slayings as well-deserved revenge against France.
The Islamic State group has repeatedly threatened to attack France. Just minutes before the attack, Charlie Hebdo had tweeted a satirical cartoon of that extremist group's leader giving New Year's wishes. Another cartoon, released in this week's issue and entitled "Still No Attacks in France," had a caricature of an extremist fighter saying "Just wait -- we have until the end of January to present our New Year's wishes."
Wednesday's attack comes the same day of the release of a book by a celebrated French novelist depicting France's election of its first Muslim president. Hollande had been due to meet with the country's top religious officials later in the day.
Just before noon, multiple masked men armed with automatic weapons attacked the newspaper's office in central Paris, nearby worker Benoit Bringer told the iTele network. The attackers went to the second floor and started firing indiscriminately in the newsroom, said Christophe DeLoire of Reporters Without Borders.
"This is the darkest day of the history of the French press," DeLoire said.
Video images on the website of public broadcaster France Televisions showed two gunmen in black at a crossroads who appeared to fire down one of the streets. A cry of "Allahu akbar!" -- Arabic for "God is great"-- could be heard among the gunshots.
Luc Poignant of the SBP police union said the attackers left in a waiting car and later switched to another vehicle that had been stolen.
President Barack Obama is offering help to French officials to pursue terrorists responsible for what he is calling a "horrific shooting."
In a statement, Obama offered thoughts and prayers for the people of France, which he called "America's oldest ally." He says France and Paris, where the attack occurred, will endure beyond "the hateful vision of these killers."
On social media, supporters of militant Islamic groups praised the move. One Twitter user who identified themselves as a Tunisian loyalist of al-Qaida and the Islamic State group called the attack well-deserved revenge against France.
Elsewhere on the Internet, the hashtag [HASHTAG]#JeSuisCharlie[/HASHTAG] was trending as people expressed support for weekly and for journalistic freedom.
Charlie Hebdo has been repeatedly threatened for its caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad and other controversial sketches. Its offices were firebombed in 2011 after a spoof issue featuring a caricature of the prophet on its cover. Nearly a year later, the publication again published crude Muhammad caricatures, drawing denunciations from around the Muslim world. The cartoons depicted Muhammad naked and in demeaning or pornographic poses. As passions raged, the French government defended free speech even as it rebuked Charlie Hebdo for fanning tensions.
The small-circulation weekly leans toward the left and takes pride in making acerbic commentary on world affairs through cartoons and spoof reports.
"We treat the news like journalists. Some use cameras, some use computers. For us, it's a paper and pencil," the Muhammad cartoonist, who goes by the name Luz, told The Associated Press in 2012. "A pencil is not a weapon. It's just a means of expression."
Chief editor Stephane Charbonnier, who publishes under the pen name "Charb," has also defended the Muhammad cartoons.
"Muhammad isn't sacred to me," he told The AP in 2012. "I don't blame Muslims for not laughing at our drawings. I live under French law. I don't live under Quranic law."
Islam is not alone in being singled out by Charlie Hebdo's satire. Past covers include retired Pope Benedict XVI in amorous embrace with a Vatican guard; former French President Nicolas Sarkozy looking like a sick vampire; and an Orthodox Jew kissing a Nazi soldier.
The newspaper occasionally publishes investigative journalism, taking aim at France's high and mighty.
Charlie Hebdo has come under pressure ever since its 2011 Muhammad issue. Its website has been hacked, and Charbonnier has needed police protection. Riot police guarded the publication's offices after the 2012 issue hit the stands.
Associated Press
