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Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Manhunt in Paris after massacre at newspaper office

Manhunt in Paris after massacre at newspaper office

View Video: French officials are searching for the suspected shooters in an attack on a satirical Paris newspaper that left at least 12 dead on Tuesday. (  Reuters)

VIRGILE DEMOUSTIER, ANTHONY FAIOLA, BRIAN MURPHY 
1:32 PM

PARIS —Security forces launched a massive manhunt Wednesday after masked gunmen opened fire inside the offices of a French satirical newspaper known for provocative content on Islam, killing the editor and at least 11 others before fleeing in waiting cars.

The attack — the country’s deadliest terrorist strike in decades — appeared highly planned to coincide with a staff meeting at the weekly Charlie Hebdo and left its well-known editor and other staff members among the dead.

[Read: What is Charlie Hebdo?]

GALLERY
View Photo Gallery: Gunmen storm Paris satirical newspaper, killing at least 12: The attack raised suspicions of possible reprisals for cartoons and articles about Muslim leaders.

Global condemnation poured in as France raised its security alarm to the highest levels and mobilized search teams on foot, by air and in vehicles for the three assailants who stormed the newspaper — where the Arabic cry of “Allahu Akbar” (God is great) could be heard amid the gunfire, according to video posted by France’s state-run broadcaster.

At the sealed-office offices and nearby streets, forensic experts looked for DNA or other possible clues to aid in the rapidly expanding hunt. Others pored over security camera video and cell phone images posted online.

Across Paris, meanwhile, security patrols were stepped up at media outlets, transportation hubs and other key sites. The attack also is likely to raise calls for tougher crackdowns on suspected extremists in a country that has faced decades of internal tensions over its rising Muslim population.

The raid was “a terrorist attack without a doubt,” said French President Francois Hollande.

“Journalists and police officers have been cowardly assassinated,” Hollande said after visiting the scene. “France is in a state of shock after this terrorist attack.” 

Authorities had no immediate comment on possible suspects or motives. 

But French media quoted witnesses as saying the assailants yelled, “We have avenged the prophet” in apparent reference to cartoons in the newspaper depicting the prophet Muhammad.

Only hours before the attack, the newspaper’s Twitter account carried a cartoon entitled “Still No Attacks in France” showing Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi giving a New Year’s greeting. 

“Just wait,” a fighter says in the drawing. “We have until the end of January to present our New Year’s wishes.”

The cover of the newspaper’s latest edition also notes the release of a lightning-rod book, “Submission,” a fictional account of France led by an Islamist party that imposes strict codes such as banning women from the workplace.

On the newspaper’s Web siteafter the attack was a single message on a black background: “Je Suis Charlie” (I Am Charlie). It was also posted in other languages, including Arabic.

[See: How cartoonists reacted to the Charlie Hebdo massacre.]

The attack appeared planned to target the newspaper’s most prominent figures.

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