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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Matthew Weaver, Alexandra Topping and Haroon Siddique in London and Tom McCarthy in New York

Paris magazine attack: search for gunmen enters second night - as it happened

Video: Charlie Hebdo suspects: what we know so far

Summary

We’re going to close down this blog and pick up our live coverage out of Australia. Please click here to continue following the story.

New York City: Je Suis Charlie

Police have given no new information on their operation around Longpont, according to Le Monde. AFP quotes a police source as saying “the search will continue tonight with the help of five helicopters” in the region.

Updated

The Yemen branch of al-Qaeda, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula(AQAP), has some track record of attempting terrorist attacks in the West, including the December 2009 “underwear bomber” plot and the October 2010 cargo planes bomb plot, with explosives packed in toner cartridges.

The leader of AQAP, Nasir al-Wuhayshi, is al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri’s second-in-command.

Taubira: one suspect traveled to Yemen

French Justice Minister Christiane Taubira has told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that one of the Kouachi brothers traveled to Yemen in 2005, but Taubira would not say which brother, CNN reports.

Meanwhile Reuters, citing unnamed US and European sources, reports that Saïd Kouachi, the older brother, visited Yemen in 2011 to train with al Qaeda-affiliated militants:

The sources said Said Kouachi, 34, was in Yemen for a number of months training with Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), one of the group’s most active affiliates.

A Yemeni official familiar with the matter said the Yemen government was aware of the possibility of a connection between Said Kouachi and AQAP, and was looking into such possible links.

Updated

The culture ministry announces three nights of homage to the Charlie Hebdo victims at the François Miterrand national library:

Multiple US media outlets are citing unnamed US officials who say that the Charlie Hebdo suspects, Chérif and Saïd Kouachi, had been on a US no-fly list for years and were listed in a database of terrorism suspects known as TIDE. CNN, ABC News and Yahoo News are carrying the reports.

AFP publishes an infographic of the deadliest terror attacks in France in the last 40 years:

The Guardian’s Raya Jalabi (@rayajalabi) looks at a Le Monde report delving into the background of the Kouachi brothers. The report focuses predominantly on Cherif Kouachi, Raya writes, and draws upon previous records and reports relating to a 2008 stint in prison (see previous). Some salient points:

Cherif, the younger of the two brothers, was convicted in 2008 to three years in prison relating to his involvement in the establishment of a network to send would-be jihadis to Iraq between 2004-2006.

His involvement with the so-called Buttes-Chaumont cell of the 19th arrondissement started after he began frequenting the Adda’wa mosque in Stalingrad, Paris in 2003. Testifying at a 2008 trial, Kouachi himself described a youth peppered with petty crime including theft and drugs, but said he became interested in waging ‘jihad’ after meeting the leader of the cell at the mosque.

Cherif and his then-associates began training with the ultimate goal of heading to Iraq to fight. In 2008, Cherif himself testified that “the closer we got to our departure date, the more I wanted to go back in time. But if I showed fear, I would have risked looking like a coward.”

Some members of the cell – between 2003 and 2005 – ended up in Iraq, sneaking into the country via Syria. But Cherif never left French soil. He was caught and detained in France in January 2005 and would then spend a year and a half in prison until his release in october 2006. It is during this time that he met Djamel Beghal who furthered Cherif’s radicalism.

Read the full report in French here.

Updated

Here are pictures of vigils today in Amsterdam...

Approximately 18.000 people gather in support of the victims after the terrorist attack in Paris on January 8, 2015 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Approximately 18.000 people gather in support of the victims after the terrorist attack in Paris on January 8, 2015 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Photograph: Michel Porro/Getty Images

Melbourne

A vigil for victims of the Paris massacre at Federation Square on January 8, 2015 in Melbourne, Australia.
A vigil for victims of the Paris massacre at Federation Square on January 8, 2015 in Melbourne, Australia. Photograph: Wayne Taylor/Getty Images

Athens

Supporters of New Democracy during a speech of Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras (not pictured) for an pre-election rally in Athens, Greece, 08 January 2015
Supporters of New Democracy during a speech of Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras (not pictured) for an pre-election rally in Athens, Greece, 08 January 2015 Photograph: ALEXANDROS VLACHOS/EPA

Austria

A rally in solidarity with the killed Charlie Hebdo employees, in Salzburg, Austria, 08 January 2015.
A rally in solidarity with the killed Charlie Hebdo employees, in Salzburg, Austria, 08 January 2015. Photograph: BARBARA GINDL/EPA

and Rome, thanks to Stephanie Kirchgaessner (@skirchy):

rome
A vigil in Rome for the victims of the Charlie Hebdo attack. Photograph: Stephanie Kirchgaessner

Updated

The publisher of Michel Houellebecq’s new novel, which envisions an Islamist government in France, has announced that the author is “suspending promotion” of the novel, AFP reports. The author was said to be “profoundly affected by the death of his friend Bernard Maris,” the economist and Charlie Hebdo writer.

Updated

The Paris mayor and other officials gather at the Place de la République for a second night of vigils and rallies.

As a tribute for the victims of yesterday's terrorist attack the lights of the Eiffel Tower were turned off for five minutes at 8pm local time on January 8, 2015 in Paris, France.
As a tribute for the victims of yesterday’s terrorist attack the lights of the Eiffel Tower were turned off for five minutes at 8pm local time on January 8, 2015 in Paris, France. Photograph: Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images
Place de la Republique.
Place de la Republique. Photograph: Kalpana Kartik/Kalpana Kartik/Demotix/Corbis

The Guardian media group has pledged £100,000 to sustain Charlie Hebdo, editor Alan Rusbridger has announced at the “We are Charlie” event.

Separately, €250,000 (£195,000) had been earmarked to support Charlie Hebdo by the Digital Press Fund, paid for by Google.

Summary

As our live blog coverage continues, here’s a summary of where things stand, about 34 hours after the attack on the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris that killed 12, including eight journalists, a maintenance worker, a visitor to the building and two policemen.

  • Police activity continued around the town of Longpont, a forested area in Aisne northeast of Paris.
  • Helicopters, dozens of police vehicles and counter-terrorism forces were sighted in the area.
  • Police have not confirmed that they suspect the presence of the two suspects. There was a reported sighting of the two suspects nearby, a gas station in Villers-Cotterets.
  • The two suspects were named by police as Chérif Kouachi, 32, and his elder brother, 34-year-old Said.
  • Hamyd Mourad, 18, has turned himself in to police after also being named as a suspect.
  • See a map of key events in the manhunt.
  • The lights of the Eiffel Tower were dimmed briefly in tribute to the victims.
  • A large rally was planned for Paris on Sunday. Paris officials have announced the exclusion of Marine Le Pen and the national front, the French right-wing party. Le Pen accused organizers of ending national unity.
  • The French culture minister asked for 1m euros to help Charlie Hebdo. French media outlets planned a call for donations Friday. Libération said it would host the magazine, which said it would print a million copies of an issue to be released next week.
  • The interior ministry said a shooting south of Paris Thursday morning appeared to have no nexus with the magazine attack.
  • US attorney general Eric Holder planned to travel to Paris at the weekend for a meeting with French officials.

Updated

Video: Police search for Paris attack suspects as security in the capital is increased

Here’s video using footage from earlier today of police searching the northeastern French town of Longpont, and of the enhanced police presence in Paris:

Mourners in France fear a political backlash to the Charlie Hebdo attacks, writes Angelique Chrisafis in the Guardian:

As the grim tolling of the bells of Notre Dame cathedral ended the minute’s silence on a tense day of national mourning, Sabrina Deliry, a 34-year-old Parisian bank worker, stood among hundreds gathered in the rain to defend “freedom”.

Having taken the day off work to join the crowd, many silently weeping and holding newspapers, pens or bunches of flowers, she felt numb and afraid. [...]

In part, Deliry felt nervous about what would come next for France and for French society:

“I’m afraid there will be a real sense of: ‘If you love France, stay; if you don’t love France, then go home,’” she said. “This is a country with already so much to worry about in terms of economic difficulty and a society on edge. I don’t want politicians to capitalise on this. I will feel very let down if the Front National cash in on it.”

Four leading French imams and the Vatican issued a joint declaration Thursday denouncing the Charlie Hebdo attack and warning that the world is a dangerous place without freedom of expression, but urged the media to be respectful of religions, the Associated Press reports:

The Vatican’s office for interreligious dialogue said the four Muslim spiritual leaders, who were visiting the Vatican this week, joined Pope Francis in condemning the attack and urging all believers to show friendship and solidarity to the victims.

The declaration, issued in French, stressed that dialogue among faiths was the only way to eliminate prejudice.

“In these circumstances, we should recall that the world is in danger without freedom of expression,” it said. But it added: “Considering the impact of the media, the (signatories) invite media leaders to provide information that respects religions, their followers and their practices, thus promoting a culture of encounter.”

In addition to French Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, who heads the pontifical council, the signatories included Djelloul Seddiki, head of the Paris Mosque, Tareq Oubrou, director of the Bordeaux mosque, Azzedine Gaci of the Villeurbanne mosque and Mohammed Moussaoui, president of the Union of Mosques in France.

Francis, meanwhile, celebrated a Mass in memory of the victims Thursday morning, decrying the “human cruelty” it showcased. Francis asked for prayers for the victims and said “we also ask for those who are cruel so that the Lord may change their heart.”

Watch Guardian event: 'We are Charlie'

The Guardian is hosting an evening of discussion and debate, “We are Charlie,” in support of our murdered French colleagues. The event is to begin momentarily.

Speakers will include Natalie Nougayrede, former editor of Le Monde, now a columnist with the Guardian; our two main cartoonists Steve Bell and Martin Rowson; Observer columnists Nick Cohen and Henry Porter; writers Sunny Hundal and Shahida Bari. The event will be chaired by Guardian columnist, the Rev Dr Giles Fraser.

Tickets were £5, with all proceeds to be donated to support the families of those killed.

The Charlie Hebdo suspects were “without a doubt followed” by police at some time before the attack, interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve has said, but police apparently gleaned no indication that an attack was imminetn, Le Figaro reports.

A vehicle has exploded south of Paris, in Villejuif, and authorities are on the scene, Le Monde reports. None were wounded, according to the paper.

Update: Le Monde reports the car had not recently been moved and there’s no indication of a nexus with the Charlie Hebdo attack.

The cause of the explosion, and whether there is any link with the Charlie Hebdo attack, is unknown.

Updated

French culture minister Fleur Pellerin has called for the release about 1m euros to assure the continuity of Charlie Hebdo, Le Monde reports.

Earlier Thursday, Libération reported that Charlie Hebdo would use its offices to produce its next issues. Le Monde and other media outlets held a meeting Thursday and agreed to make a major call for donations, on all participating media outlets including papers, television and radio, Friday morning.

The lights of the Eiffel Tower are dimmed in tribute to the Charlie Hebdo victims.

AFP has produced a graphic of earlier attacks against the press in the Paris area:

The Guardian’s Kim Willsher is in the Longpont area, where major police activity has been reported. But it’s grown quiet where Kim is:

Updated

Interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve is quoted in Le Monde as saying there’s no link “at this stage” between the attack in Montrouge in southern Paris this morning, in which a policewoman and a street cleaner were shot and two have been detained, and the Charlie Hebdo attack.

Laurent Léger, a journalist who was at the Charlie Hebdo editorial meeting that was attacked but who survived, gave an interview on France Info quoted by Le Monde:

“It was unreal, incomprehensible, in the middle of Paris, at a comic magazine. I saw a masked man, a lot of blood, and half of the staff on the ground...I saw the horror... It was barbarism.”

There is continued police activity near Longpont (map), in a forested area of the Aisne region northeast of Paris.

“Dozens of police cars have converged near Longpont,” Le Monde reports, citing a reporter at the scene.

Holder to travel to Paris

US attorney general Eric Holder will travel to Paris on Sunday to meet with French officials, according to the justice department.

Updated

The counter-extremism group Quilliam has released a statement calling for a “focus on how communities across Europe can begin to address the issues at the heart of this crisis.”

The group’s recommendations include:

  • Beyond the increase in security that will be necessary to catch the perpetrators of this cowardly act and stop the immediate plans for future attacks, European authorities must accept that there is no security solution for jihadist terrorism in Europe.
  • The European Union must develop a clear and consistent strategy for countering the Islamist extremist messaging that is used for radicalisation and recruitment to jihadist causes. We welcome the news that a temporary panel of experts is to be set up to advise governments on challenging Islamic State propaganda, but urge that this becomes a permanent body that can challenge the whole spectrum of Islamist ideologies and extremist narratives of all kinds.
  • European civil society must be resilient in the face of extremist provocations and not resort to far-right extremism or anti-Muslim hatred, which only serves to reinforce the worldview of Islamist extremists and aid recruitment to terrorist organisations.
  • Instead, civil society must treat extremism of all kinds as a social ill, even before it becomes violent. Muslim organisations have a role to play within this and must challenge extremist ideas that are used to legitimise terrorism. They must fulfill their role in preventing the creation within Muslim communities of an atmosphere conducive to terrorism.
  • We urge a period of introspection within Muslim communities in the West to seek the compatibility between their faith and their existence in liberal democracies of the 21st century. In particular, we support Muslims who want to challenge medieval blasphemy codes and want to seize their religion back from the violent extremists who have hijacked it.

(h/t @ian_black)

The Foreign Office has urged UK travellers to take extra care while in France. It says on its website:

On 7 January, gunmen attacked the Charlie Hebdo newspaper offices in the east of Paris. Reports indicate 12 people were killed in the attack. On 8 January, a gunman shot and injured individuals in Montrouge, a town to the south west of Paris. You should take extra care at this time and follow the security advice issued by the French authorities.

(h/t @marktran)

Updated

Farid Darrouf, an imam from the Paillade mosque in the southern city of Montpellier, has said it was a mistake not to invite the Front National to the big political rally in Paris on Sunday, the Guardian’s Mark Tran (@marktran) reports:

Taking part will be the ruling Socialists and the main opposition party, the UMP, led by Nicolas Sarkozy. But the Front National, which received 17.9% of the popular vote in the 2012 presidential election, has not been invited.

“It’s a mistake, we should unite everyone and not judge people by their political colours,” Darrouf said. “Everyone should participate to say no to this barbarism. Division can only feed the fanatics.”

As for those radical Muslims who have expressed support for the assailants, he said: “This is horrible. They don’t understand Islam... France is a country that has welcomed you, your parents who have fled tyranny to come and live in a free country.”

François Lamy from the Socialist party, who is organising Sunday’s rally, tells Le Monde why the Front National is not invited:

“We are inviting all political forces, republican and democratic... We are not inviting organisations that divide the country, stigmatise our fellow Muslims and play on their their fears.”

Updated

Citing the interior minister, France24 reports that the number of people arrested in the current investigation is now nine, up from seven announced earlier Thursday.

Gérard Depardieu:

#JeSuisAhmed

A hashtag slogan has emerged to rival #JeSuisCharlie, the statement of solidarity taken up by mourners, media, embassies, social media users and people around the world after Wednesday’s attack.The Guardian’s Raya Jalabi (@rayajalabi) writes:

Twitter user @Aboujahjah appears to have been the first to use the hashtag #JeSuisAhmed, which spread across social media. The hashtag commemorates police officer Ahmed Merabet, who was gunned down in the streets during the attack on Wednesday. Some reports have suggested that Merabet was a Muslim, though this hasn’t been verified.

The LA Times op-ed page is partially speechless:

(h/t @kaylaepstein)

Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far-right National Front party, told AFP that she condemned her “exclusion” from Sunday’s “republican march” in support of Charlie Hebdo.

Le Pen said that there was “no longer national unity”. She said: “It is very clear. They say that the Front National (FN) are not welcome to a meeting where every other party is invited. There is no longer national unity, it’s disappeared because of their actions.”

(h/t @jonathanbucks)

AFP is reporting that a second person has been taken into custody in relation to the shooting south of Paris this morning, in Montrouge, in which a female police officer and a street cleaner were shot. AFP reports:

Security forces detained a man soon after the Montrouge shooting but he was not the shooter, police said. They then raided a hotel room nearby but that was unsuccessful.

“We lost track of the alleged attacker in the La Defense area (business district next to Paris),” a police source said. The anti-terrorist section of the Paris prosecutor’s office is now handling the probe into the shooting “in view of the current context” following the Charlie Hebdo killing, and also due to the heavy weaponry carried by the attacker and the “deliberate nature of an act targeting security forces.”

(h/t @jonathanbucks)

Charlie Hebdo staff have accepted the invitation of the French newspaper Libération to use office space to produce upcoming issues, including one scheduled for publication-- and a million-copy print run -- next week. Libération also welcomed Charlie Hebdo after their offices were attacked in 2011, the Libération web site said.

French police have dispatched a total of 88,150 officers as part of the heightened security posture, with 9,650 in Paris and a further 78,350 throughout the rest of the country, according to the French government.

(h/t @jonathanbucks)

2nd Regiment Transmission corp Vigipirate patrol under the Eiffel Tower Vigipirate Patrols in Paris, France.
2nd Regiment Transmission corp Vigipirate patrol under the Eiffel Tower Vigipirate Patrols in Paris, France. Photograph: ROMUALDMEIGNEUX/SIPA/REX/ROMUALDMEIGNEUX/SIPA/REX
Members of the French police special force GIPN opens a door in Corcy, northern France, on January 8, 2015 during searches as part of an investigation into a deadly attack the day before by armed gunmen on the Paris offices of French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo.
Members of the French police special force GIPN opens a door in Corcy, northern France, on January 8, 2015 during searches as part of an investigation into a deadly attack the day before by armed gunmen on the Paris offices of French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo. Photograph: FRANCOIS LO PRESTI/AFP/Getty Images
Members of the GIPN and RAID, French police special forces, walk in Corcy, northern France, on January 8, 2015.
Members of the GIPN and RAID, French police special forces, walk in Corcy, northern France, on January 8, 2015. Photograph: FRANCOIS LO PRESTI/AFP/Getty Images

The Syrian government has expressed its condolences to France over the Charlie Hebdo killings in Paris, but also criticised it for encouraging jihadi extremists who are fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad, writes Guardian Middle East editor Ian Black (@ian_black):

An official statement in Damascus on Thursday blamed “short-sighted European policies” for terrorist incidents in Europe and bloodshed in Syria, where more than 200,000 people are now estimated to have been killed since the anti-Assad uprising began in March 2011.

“This terrorist act makes clear without doubt the dangers posed by the spread of the phenomenon of takfiri terrorism, which poses a threat to stability and security across the world,” it said. “Takfiri terrorism” is shorthand for extremist Sunni groups like the Islamic State (Isis) and al-Qaida: it means they are ready to kill non-Muslims or Muslims they see as “apostates.”

The French government has taken a strong position against Assad since the start of the crisis, recognises the moderate opposition fighting him and insists he cannot carry on as president. In addition, several hundred French nationals are believed to have fought in Syria and Iraq, some of them with Isis - a source of grave concern to the authorities in Paris.

Damascus describes the continuing crisis as requiring a choice between Assad or jihadis, ignoring the middle ground between them. But France and other western countries are refusing to drop their insistence that he step down.

Governments across the Arab world have condemned the incident amid expectations that the themes of terrorism, “true” Islam and toleration will be tackled in mosques across the region in Friday sermons. Jihadis and Isis supporters hailed the killings as “revenge” for “insults” against the Prophet Muhammad.

The European Commission will submit new counter-terrorism proposals after the Paris attacks, Commission President Jean Claude Juncker has said, according to an AFP report:

I know from experience that one should not react on the moment to such events given the risk of doing either too much or too little,” Juncker told a press conference in the Latvian capital Riga, which has assumed the rotating EU presidency.

Juncker added that the commission, the EU executive arm, “plans to submit new anti-terror proposals in the coming weeks”.

Details about the wounded have been released. According to a Le Monde report:

Four people were seriously injured, have received surgery and remain in hospital.

Seven were hospitalised but suffered minor injuries and have since been discharged.

65 people have shown signs of trauma and are receiving psychiatric treatment.

(h/t @jonathanbucks)

The Al-Khoei Foundation, a prominent UK-based Shia Muslim organization, said in a statement that it is “shocked and appalled by the terrorist attack” “which is against all principles of faith.” The statement reads in part:

Unfortunately, such horrific acts in the name of religion have become a global phenomenon that is affecting the peace and order of all communities, while innocent victims of these acts, from all faiths and backgrounds, are suffering at the hands of extremists. The use of violence in response to feeling offended is completely unacceptable. The Al-Khoei Foundation strongly believes that interfaith dialogue is the best way to increase understanding and foster tolerance within a framework of free speech and respect.

It is now more important than ever that we come together and increase our efforts to tackle the root cause of this violence that has no religious underpinning and has subverted the name of Islam. ...

(h/t: @ian_black)

Any link between the attackers and al-Qaeda remains unproven and initial French intelligence “suggested that no external link was evident,” writes Nigel Inkster of the International Institute of Strategic Studies:

The perpetrators of the Charlie Hebdo attack are reported as having identified themselves with ‘al-Qaeda in Yemen (sic)’ and gave their motive as avenging the Prophet Mohamed. This connection with al-Qaeda – presumably al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula(AQAP), which has some track record of attempting terrorist attacks in the West and whose leader Nasir al-Wuhayshi is al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri’s second-in-command – however, remains unproven. Moreover, one of the wanted men, Cherif Kouachi, has a track record of jihadist activities which involves sending fighters to al-Qaeda in Iraq, the forerunner of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). It remains unclear whether the Charlie Hebdo attack was another lone-wolf operation or whether it was externally panned and directed either by AQAP or ISIS. Initial French intelligence reporting shared with counterpart services suggested that no external link was evident. But the discipline and professionalism shown by the attackers suggests a degree of training not normally associated with lone wolves.

Updated

Video: Charlie Hebdo attack suspect Chérif Kouachi in 2004 French TV footage

We’ve edited this footage from the three-minute newscast that appeared earlier in the blog:

There is disagreement in the ruling Socialist party on whether the Front National, led by Marine le Pen, should take part in a rally in Paris on Sunday, the Guardian’s Mark Tran (@marktran) reports:

A spokesman for the Socialists said no one should be excluded, but others including Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, said the event should be for “republican parties”, implying that the Front National is not part of the French republican tradition. Wallerand de Saint-Just, treasurer for the FN, has tweeted that to exclude his party from Sunday’s rally will be to ignore 30% of the French electorate.

Updated

A spokesman for French prime minister, Manuel Valls, is quoted by Le Figaro as saying: “Following this afternoon’s events, the prime minister has chosen to raise the national alert to the highest possible status in Picardie.”

Picardie is the region northeast of Paris where substantial police activity has been playing out today and where mixed reports of a possible sighting of the suspects were floated.

(h/t: @jonathanbucks)

The terror threat level in the UK has not been raised -- but British Transport Police said they have increased armed patrols at London’s St Pancras station to provide reassurance to the public at the Eurostar terminal, the Press Association reports:

A spokesman said: “Since 2012, we have deployed armed officers within London.

“The safety of rail passengers and staff is of paramount importance to us, and we want to provide a reassuring, visible armed presence to deter terrorism on the rail network.

“In light of the events in Paris, we have increased patrols at St Pancras, in order to maintain and provide enhanced visibility and reassurance to the public. We keep our security arrangements under constant review.”

(h/t: @jonathanhaynes)

Updated

A senior counter terrorism officer in the UK has defended the government’s decision not to raise the terror threat level in the wake of Wednesday’s attack.

[Update: transport police have increased armed patrols at St Pancras station.]

ACPO’s Policing Lead for Counter Terrorism, Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said:

At this stage, there is no UK connection and the threat levels remain unchanged, at severe for the UK. We continue to review our ability to prevent and respond to terrorist incidents and we have deployed additional measures to help reassure and protect the public.

The measures we take to protect the public are constantly under review.

There is a lot of proactive work going on by the National Counter Terrorism Policing Network and other agencies to mitigate the threat from terrorism. The number of arrests and charges over recent months is one element of the action we are taking to protect the UK.

Updated

Eiffel tower to go dark

Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo has announced that the Eiffel tower will go dark at 8pm tonight, writes Mark Tran.

Speaking on France Info radio she confirmed that another rally has been called for 6pm tonight at the Place de la Republique. She also backed the decision not to invite the Front National to a national rally on Sunday, saying it was for “republican parties”.

A French researcher on jihad has pointed to a possible link between the Kouachi brothers and Islamic State, AFP reports.

French-Tunisian jihadist Boubaker el-Hakim who assassinated two Tunisian politicians in 2013 is a member of IS. He was previously part of the “Butte-Chaumont network” in Paris - alongside Cherif Kouachi - that helped send fighters to join al-Qaida in Iraq in the mid-2000s.

Hakim “represents the link between the Kouachi brothers and (IS),” said researcher Jean-Pierre Filiu, a leading expert on radical Islam at Paris’s Sciences Po university.

“It is impossible that an operation on the scale of the one that led to the massacre at Charlie Hebdo was not sponsored by Daesh,” he claimed, using an alternative name for IS.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the Charlie Hebdo attack, “but it is certain that (IS) is closely following it and waiting to see how it ends,” said Filiu.

“I am sure that the video claiming responsibility is already prepared.”

Here’s a map showing Crépy-en-Valois which appears to be the current focus of the manhunt for the suspects.

A former lawyer for Cherif Kouachi, has denied that the suspect is an extremist, writes Jonathan Bucks.

Speaking to BFMTV Vincent Ollivier, said of Kouachi:

When he was younger he had no professional or personal projects in his life. After being jailed in 2008 he became less juvenile, but I would not say he was a religious extremist. During his trial he never spoke of any extremist ideals.

For me it is very difficult to make a connection between the young man, who was almost a child, that I knew and the professional gunman that I saw yesterday. The Cherif Kouachi that I knew does not match the person that carried out the killings yesterday.

My only advice to him is to turn himself in to French authorities.

Are the police honing in on the suspects? Reuters has more:

French anti-terrorism police converged on an area northeast of Paris after two brothers suspected of being behind an attack on a satirical newspaper were spotted at a petrol station in the region.

Two police sources said that the men were seen armed and wearing cagoules in a Renault Clio car at a petrol station on a secondary road in Villers-Cotterets some 70 kilometers from the French capital.

Amid French media reports the men had abandoned their car, Bruno Fortier, the mayor of neighbouring Crépy-en-Valois, said helicopters were circling his town and police and anti-terrorism forces were deploying en masse.

“It’s an incessant waltz of police cars and trucks,” he told Reuters, adding that he could not confirm reports the men were holed up in a house in the area.

Satire and Islam do not sit well together, writes the Guardian’s Middle East editor Ian Black. Especially if the format is visual representation of the prophet Muhammad – and perhaps also the self-proclaimed caliph of Islamic State (Isis), now ruling swaths of Iraq and Syria, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

In a cartoon published just before Wednesday’s killings, Charlie Hebdo portrayed Baghdadi, apparently based on a photograph of him preaching in a mosque after the capture of the Iraqi city of Mosul last June and his proclamation of a new caliphate. It sarcastically wished him “especially good health”.

Read the rest of Ian’s post here.

Former French foreign minister and co-founder of Médecins Sans Frontières, Bernard Kouchner, who was friends with a number of the journalists killed, said that the country was at war. Speaking on the BBC Radio 4’s World at One he said that the attackers were trying to terrify the French people, but that they wouldn’t succeed, writes Frances Perraudin.

“It is the beginning of a new era,” he said. “It is the globalisation of the fight – I know this is not only a European problem and this is not only a Middle East problem.”

He continued: “The main thing is that the muslim people in my country realise that we have a common enemy ... We don’t want any religious war. We want to resist and defeat the terrorists”.

“We are not alone. You are there. Our British friends, our American friends and our European friends – all the democrats of the West.”

He said although “the unity of the french people from right to left is completely clear,” there might be some anti-muslim backlash. “The terrorists – the killers, the barbarians – they are counting on a backlash.”

He said of his friends who worked at the paper: “They were criticising what they wanted to criticise and they were right to criticise everything. They were free and open and a lot of the time very sweet and human. They were not rich people. They did not have lots of money. They were journalists in the purest sense of the word.”

Bernard Kouchner in 2010.
Bernard Kouchner in 2010. Photograph: FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images

Updated

There are more reports of a heavy police presence in Crépy-en-Valois amid unconfirmed claims that the suspects are hold up in the town.

The BBC’s Piers Schlofield tweets this image:

Updated

Google plans to donate donating £250,000 to Charlie Hebdo, writes the Guardian’s media editor Jane Martinson.

This should help with the magazine’s plans for a 1m print run for Charlie Hebdo next week.

Google’s French site is currently carrying a Je Suis Charlie logo.

Molotov cocktails and Jihadist flags were found in the abandoned Citroen used by the attackers, according to AFP’s Didier Lauras.

Updated

iTele have done a moving interview with Patrick Pelloux, a casualty doctor and contributor to Charlie Hebdo, who arrived at the offices moment after the massacre had taken place.

He was not at the meeting, but was nearby and was called by one of the survivors who told him that his help was needed.

In the interview, he struggles to contain his emotions, describing the scene, with tears rolling down his face: “It was horrible, many had passed away, they were shot execution-style,” he says. “We were able to save the others who are feeling better this morning.”

The staff at the magazine were very aware of the threat that faced them, he adds. “Charb [publisher Stéphane Charbonnier] knew that in all rallies held by fundamentalists all over the world, Charlie Hebdo was mentioned and targeted,” he said, adding that there was a fatwa against Charb.

“You know,” he says. “These were such good men. These were people who were so generous. Of course disrespectful, irreverent [...] They were great humanists.”

And he gives the very clear message that Charlie Hebdo will publish again.

“Charlie Hebdo will continue because they haven’t won. [The victims] didn’t die for nothing. There is no hatred to have against Muslims and everyone, each one of us, in front his home, every day must keep the values of the French Republic alive.”

Updated

The co-founder of the Cartoon Movement Arend Jan van den Beld has expressed his horror at Wednesday’s murders, writes Aisha Gani.

In a letter to the Guardian he said: “The massacre of the great people at Charlie Hebdo came as a horrible blow to me and even more to all the cartoonists in our network.”

The network, which publishes global political cartoons online and includes more than 300 members from over 100 countries, have started submitting cartoons in tribute to the Charlie Hebdo journalists who were killed in the Paris attack.


Van den Beld writes:

Our aim now is to have as many of them [cartoons] as possible published or displayed in as many different places as possible, to show that satire can not be stopped with violence. All we want in return is proper credits for the cartoonists.


We founded Cartoon Movement to create a platform for cartoonists where they are free to publish their, often very different and sometimes unknown and to some people uncomfortable, perspectives on the news of the world and in their respective countries.


Our motto is: ‘There is more than one truth’


The attack yesterday was an attack on the core of everything that we stand for.

Charlie Hebdo cartoon
Cartoon movement tribute by Ali Divandari. Photograph: Cartoon Movement

There are unconfirmed reports that the suspects are hiding out in the town of Crépy-en-Valois, in the Oise department. Police vans were positioned in the town as a helicopter circled overhead.

Summary

Here’s a summary of the main developments so far today:

• A minute’s silence in memory of the 12 people killed in the attack on the offices of Charlie Hebdo was observed at gatherings around the world at 12pm French time. Crowds gathered outside Notre Dame cathedral in central Paris, where the bells rang out marking the national day of mourning. Staff and representatives Elysee Palace observed the silence, as did those at the UK parliament in London and European parliament in Brussels as did those at the Elysee Palace. A number of media organisations also observed the silence.

• Unconfirmed reports suggest that the two suspects, named by police as Chérif Kouachi, 32, and his older brother, 34-year-old Said, have been spotted in northern France. Police are said to have blocked all the main roads into Paris amid other unconfirmed reports that they have been seen heading towards the capital.

• Chérif Kouachi was sentenced to 18 months in prison in 2008 after being convicted of terrorism charges for helping funnel fighters to Iraq’s insurgency. His older brother has been living in Riems for than a year, according to a neighbour.

• Francois Hollande has held a meeting with his predecessor and opposition leader Nicolas Sarkozy to discuss the aftermath of the attack. Speaking afterwards, Sarkozy said: “Civilised people, whatever their beliefs have got to unite in the face of this barbarism and fanaticism.”

• The next edition of Charlie Hebdo will come out next week and a million copies will be printed, the magazine’s lawyer has said. It’s weekly circulation is normally around 45,000.

• Hamyd Mourad, 18, has turned himself into police after also being named as a suspect. People purporting to be his classmates have claimed he was at school at the time of the attacks.

• A police officer has died after a a shooting in a suburb south of Paris on Thursday morning. No link has been established with the Charli Hebdo attack at present. One man has been arrested and another is on the run after two people, including the officer, were shot in Montrouge, around 5km from the city centre.

The Guardian has put together a video summary of the key facts that have emerged after the attack.

The Ukip leader, Nigel Farage, has drawn criticism for blaming the Charlie Hebdo terror attack by Islamist extremists on a “really rather gross policy of multiculturalism” in the west, writes Rowena Mason and Frances Perraudin

The politician claimed there was now a “fifth column” operating in the UK, which, though small, was trying to undermine British society. As he argued against multiculturalism, he also brought up the grooming of children in south Yorkshire by men of mainly Muslim Pakistani heritage.

Several senior politicians condemned his remarks, including Nick Clegg, who said he was dismayed that Farage’s first reaction was to make political points about the shooting.

The Labour former cabinet minister Tessa Jowell said they were “sickening comments” as the murder of innocent people was “criminal, plain and simple”.

Nick Clegg accused Nigel Farage of using the Charlie Hebdo attack for political gain.

More than 100 MPs, peers and their staff gathered in Westminster Hall to show their solidarity with France at midday on Thursday, many holding up placards reading Je Suis Charlie.

Peter Walker rounds up how the minute’s silence for the victims was observed around the world.

Updated

Le Monde has published disturbing images of Charlie Hebdo’s bloodstained offices.

They show blood splattered papers from the magazine offices trampled into the red stained floor. When Charlie Hebdo writer, Laurent Leger, sounded the alarm he said: “It’s carnage, a bloodbath.”

Here’s video of the minute’s silence across France.

Speakers will include Natalie Nougayrede, former editor of Le Monde, now a columnist with the Guardian; our two main cartoonists Steve Bell and Martin Rowson; Observer columnists Nick Cohen and Henry Porter; writers Sunny Hundal and Shahida Bari.

The event will be chaired by Guardian columnist, the Rev Dr Giles Fraser.

Updated

Classmates of an 18 year-old accused of being the getaway driver for Wednesday’s bloody attack on French magazine Charlie Hebdo have taken to twitter to defend him, saying he was in class when masked gunmen open fire, my colleague Emma Graham-Harrison writes:

Mourad Hamyd turned himself in to police in his hometown of Charleville Mezieres near the border with Belgium after he was named as one of three suspects in the attack, which killed 12, and saw his name on social media.

Soon after people claiming to be classmates started tweeting under the hashtag #MouradHamydInnocent.

“He’s in my class, and he was there for lessons this morning,” said @babydroma, in all capitals. Her account has been active since 2012, and before Wednesday was full of chatter about teachers and lessons, with a picture of film star James Franco as wall paper.

Apparently frustrated by journalists and others questioning her identity and motive, a couple of hours later she added. “I swear to you I haven’t spoken to Mourad more than five times, but I felt obliged to help him,” and later clarified that they had been in a philosophy class, not a history class at the time of the attack.

Others also joined in on the same hashtag. “Imagine that you went to class with your mate, and then in the evening he is accused of (taking part in) the attack. Please retweet #MouradHamydInnocent said @_neednobody.

An 18 year-old called Laura, she also has a long-standing account with tens of thousands of tweets, and says she studies BTS, a course.

Another teenager, @AnyceDz, said Hamyd was a friend and the two had spend the morning together, and changed his profile name to #MouradHamydInnocent. He also said on twitter that school officials advised him to stop giving interviews about his friend.

1 million copies of Charlie Hebdo planned

Le Monde says it has been told by Charlie Hebdo’s lawyer, Richard Malka, that the next edition of the magazine will come out on Wednesday and a million copies will be printed. Its weekly circulation is normally around 45,000.

Updated

As the search for the gunmen who attacked Charlie Hebdo magazine killing 12 people entered its second day, the atmosphere in Paris was a bizarre mix of febrility and confusion, writes Kim Willsher.

In an unprecedented move, police were said to have “blocked” all the city “portes” - the main roads leading into the city - amid unconfirmed reports that the two suspects Saïd and Chérif Kouachi were heading back towards the French capital “at high speed” in a grey Renault Clio.

The two men were reportedly seen in the Aisne region of north east France, but again the reports were confused. Some French media suggested they had been picked up by cameras at a péage (road toll) stop. Others said they had been identified by the owner of a petrol station near Villers-Cotterot and a number of reports went even further suggesting the two men had robbed the petrol station and made off with fuel and food.

The reports suggested that heavy weapons including - allegedly - a Kalashnikov and a “rocket launcher” could be clearly seen in the rear of the vehicle.

However, apart from images of areas of Paris, like the north western suburb of Levallois, completely sealed off and heavily armed police and armoured vehicles at the portes of the city, the reports were unconfirmed and there was no indication that police had located the vehicle.

The killing of a female police officer in a second, and reportedly unconnected, attack in the south Paris suburb of Montrouge, has sparked a second manhunt. The officer, said to be on work experience, was shot in the back after being called to a car accident involving the gunman’s vehicle.

The atmosphere around the edge of the city, where police were reported to be awaiting the arrival of the suspects was described as one of “extreme anticipation” bordering on “fear”, by French media.

Journalists are being hampered in reporting by a second day of often contradictory information and a lack of official information.

Armed French intervention police are seen at the scene of a shooting in the street of Montrouge near A police officer was killed in the shooting.
Armed French intervention police are seen at the scene of a shooting in the street of Montrouge near A police officer was killed in the shooting. Photograph: Christian Hartmann/REUTERS

UK border security increased

The UK will increase border security checks at ports following Wednesday’s murders.

The terrorist threat level remains at “severe”, Downing Street said after this morning’s emergency Cobra meeting.

Angelique Chrisafis in Paris has an account of the minute’s silence:

At Notre Dame cathedral, as the bells rang out marking the national day of mourning, hundreds stood in the pouring rain, many holding up newspaper front pages, some bowing their heads and silently weeping, others holding bouquets of flowers.

Claude Bouris, 67, a retired stage-manager who had spent last night at a silent vigil for those killed, said: “This attack strikes at the very heart of all France stands for: freedom and freedom of speech.”

He said the country was devastated. He felt everyone - politicians, intellectuals - must now unite to avoid any unfair targeting of the large number of Muslims in France.


In the crowd at Notre Dame, many French people said they had taken the day off to be there to mark the day of mourning. Some insisted that France, with its history of Nazi occupation, must stand firm to defend its principals of freedom and equality in the face of the attack.


Outside local schools, signs were up warning of the high security alert. One nursery school had a written note warning that all school trips had been cancelled, including concerts at the town hall and a trip to the Pompidou centre. On news kiosks, black posters proclaimed, “I am Charlie Hebdo”.

The flags were down at the City hall and police circulated while tourists took pictures. At Notre Dame, a Spanish tourist and occupational therapist from Madrid, Celia González, 32, said: “We wanted to be here to mark this, the mood is one of sadness and anger.” She said it had taken her back to the mood in Madrid when it was the target of terrorist attacks in 2004.

People hold signs reading
People hold signs reading “Je suis Charlie” (I am Charlie) as they stand under the rain with umbrellas in front of Notre-Dame Cathedral. Photograph: MATTHIEU ALEXANDRE/AFP/Getty Images

Updated

Here’s a video report of the aftermath of that fatal shooting in southern Paris. It is still unclear whether the incident was related to Wednesday’s murders.

Updated

The Guardian’s graphic team have put together a guide on what we know about the attack and the subsequent manhunt.

Updated

More on the suspect Cherif Kouachi from Le Point via a translation from Jonathan Bucks.

As a teenager Kouachi was often in trouble with the police for a number of crimes. The most serious of which saw him imprisoned for three years in May 2008 after his involvement in the establishment of a network to send would-be Jihadis to Iraq.

In May 2010, police arrested Kouachi, Djamel Beghat and a number of other associates on suspicion of terrorist activity. The prosecution emphasised that Beghat had played an influential role in the radicalisation of Kouachi, who was characterised as a “pupil” who had gravitated towards Beghat.

Police raids at Kouachi’s home uncovered a number of Arabic texts, as well as videos of speeches from members of al-Qaida. Kouachi’s internet browsing history revealed a number of Islamic and Jihadi related sites, as well as child pornography.

Tensions remain extremely high in Paris amid a virtual security lock down, writes Kim Willsher in the French capital.

The “portes” around the city are still letting traffic in and out, but heavily armed police in armoured vehicles are stationed at each of the portes.

Here’s video of how the Guardian observed the minute’s silence.

AFP staff came out on the balconies of the agency’s offices in Paris.

Journalists of international press agency Agence France-Presse hold signs reading
Journalists of international press agency Agence France-Presse hold signs reading “Je suis Charlie” at their headquarters in Paris as they observe a minute of silence. Photograph: Francois Xavier Marit/AFP/Getty Images

Updated

A 2005 video has emerged of the suspect Cherif Kouachi amid suggestions of how he became radicalised.

Le Point said they have seen documents show that Kouachi had moved among terrorist groups for a number of years and was an associate of Djamel Beghal, a terrorist condemned to 10 years in prison for planning an terrorist attack against the American embassy in France.

Kouach’s name appears in a number of documents which create a
portrait of a dangerous fanatic, who has this point managed to fall in
between the crack.

Free speech advocates have urged media organisations to publish the cartoon covers of Charlie Hebdo as a gesture of solidarity with the French satirical magazine, writes Mark Tran. Some publications in Germany have already done so.

“The ability to express ourselves freely is fundamental to a free society,” said Jodie Ginsberg, chief executive officer of Index on Censorship. “This includes the freedom to publish, to satirise, to joke, to criticise, even when that might cause offence to others. Those who wish to silence free speech must never be allowed to prevail.”

Suzanne Nossel, Executive Director, PEN American Center, said: “Satire is both a privilege and a necessity in a free society. The freedom to question, to expose, to mock ultimately makes institutions, belief systems, and leaders stronger. The resort to murderous vengeance for the crime of drawing and publishing cartoons represents a terrifying perversion of religious values and an assault on our shared values. No matter how offensive, speech is never a justification for violence.”

Kate Connolly writes that the Berlin tabloid BZ has gone all out with its front and back pages, showing 43 different Charlie Hebdo titles. Other German newspapers have also reproduced the cartoons, though BZ’s is the most dramatic.

Charlie Hebdo will come out next week despite Wednesday’s murder of eight of its journalists, one of its surviving staffers told AFP.

Charlie Hebdo will publish next Wednesday to defiantly show that “stupidity will not win,” said columnist Patrick Pelloux, adding that the remaining staff will soon meet.

“It’s very hard. We are all suffering, with grief, with fear, but we will do it anyway because stupidity will not win,” he said.

He added that the publication would have to be put together outside Charlie Hebdo’s headquarters which were not accessible following the massacre.

Twelve people, including five cartoonists, were killed in Wednesday’s attack that also left two policemen dead.

Many in the crowd marking the minute’s silence held pens aloft as show of support for free speech.

The minute’s silence outside Notre Dame ended with applause.

A petrol station where the suspects were reported to have been spotted in northern France has been sealed off, according to AFP’s François Becker.

Minute's silence

Crowds have gathered in central Paris ahead of a planned minute’s silence in a few moments time.

The bells of Notre Dame are due to toll to mark a minute of national mourning.

Updated

The Guardian is reviewing security at its offices in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attack.

In an email to staff Andrew Miller, chief executive of the Guardian Media Group, said:

We are reviewing security at all Guardian buildings globally, although it is worth stressing that we have not received a threat and there is no reason to believe that we should do anything other than adopt a business as usual approach ... We will continue to monitor this developing situation and will let you know of any changes to our procedures or policies.

Kim Willsher has more on those reports of a sighting of the suspects on a motorway in northern France.

The two men were said to be in a grey Renault Clio with number plates covered up wearing balaclavas. Weapons could reportedly be seen in the back of the vehicle travelling away from Paris on the RN2 motorway near Villers-Cotteret.

There are conflicting reports that either a road toll camera or a petrol station worker raised the alarm and that a Kalashnikov and a rocket launcher was clearly visible in the back of the vehicle.

Witnesses tweeted that the road has been closed to traffic.

Suspects 'seen' in northern France

There are unconfirmed reports that the suspects have been spotted in northern France.

Kim Willsher writes:

The two suspects have apparently been located in the Aisne department in Picardie in a car with blacked out number plates. The men are said to be armed and on a motorway heading away from Paris.

Updated

The French Council of the Muslim Faith has called on Muslims in France to take in part in demonstrations against the Charlie Hebdo attack planned for this weekend.

The European Council has observed a minute’s silence. Its president Donald Tusk tweets:

The National Union of Journalists has urged “supporters of press freedom” to join today’s 1100 GMT minute’s silence.


General secretary Michelle Stanistreet,said:

The NUJ, together with journalists and their unions around the world, has condemned this attack as an attempt to gag press freedom and attack the entire profession. Please join us all in stopping work for one minute to pay our collective respects to colleagues who have paid the ultimate price in carrying out their work.

Policewoman killed in separate attack

A policewoman shot who was shot by gunman in that incident in southern Paris has died, AFP reports.

AP has more on the incident before the death of the officer was reported:

A police officer and a street sweeper were shot and gravely wounded at the southern edge of Paris on Thursday, raising tensions a day after masked gunmen stormed the offices of a satirical newspaper and killed 12 people.


The attacker in the pre-dawn shooting Thursday remained at large, said French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve. He cautioned against jumping to any conclusions about the attack, which has not been linked to the assault on the newspaper Charlie Hebdo, which left two police officers among the dead.


In the Thursday shooting, he said the officer had stopped to investigate a traffic accident when the firing started. Paris police said the second victim was a street sweeper.


“There was an officer in front of a white car and a man running away who shot,” said Ahmed Sassi, who saw the shooting from his home nearby. He said the shooter wore dark clothes but no mask. “It didn’t look like a big gun because he held it with one hand,” Sassi said.


Cazeneuve left an emergency government meeting to travel to the scene of Thursday’s shooting. France is on its highest level of alert after the deadly attacks at Charlie Hebdo’s central Paris offices.

Updated

Security at the publishers which released Michel Houllebecq’s controversial novel Soumission (Submission) that featured on the cover of this week’s Charlie Hebdo, has been reinforced, Le Parisien reports.

According to the Guardian’s books editor Claire Armistead the novel was acquired on 6 January for British publication by William Heinemann, which called it “a breathtakingly audacious and daring novel that’s certain to turn heads and raise eyebrows”. It is due to be published in the UK in September.

Mosque attacks

French officials saying there have been several attacks on mosques in France since the Charlie Hebdo attack, AFP reports.

There were reports this morning of an explosion at a kebab shop near a mosque in eastern France.

There are reports of an arrest in relation to that shooting in a southern Paris suburb as tensions continue to run high.

20 minutes journalist Oihana Gabriel‏ has tweeted that a second
man fled the scene.

She tweets that a person opened fire in Montrouge with an automatic weapon.

Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, who is at the scene, has said that it is far too early to say whether the incident is related to the Charlie Hebdo attack.

RTL are reporting that the man who has been arrested is of African
origin, 52 and does not meet the description of either of the Kouchai brothers. There has been no link established with the Charlie Hebdo attack, it states.

The man was not armed at the time of his arrest. According to several witnesses a man fled with a automatic weapon.

Sarkozy has condemned the mass shooting as an attack on civilisation. Speaking to the reporters after his meeting with Hollande, he said:

The barbarism we are witnessing at the moment, I don’t think it’s a question of democracy. We are talking about the Republic, civilisation. Civilised people, whatever their beliefs have got to unite in the face of this barbarism and fanaticism. This is a war declared on civilisation and civilisation has the responsibility to defend, and that’s what we have decided to do.

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, left, poses with current President Francois Hollande prior to their meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris.
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, left, poses with current President Francois Hollande prior to their meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris. Photograph: AP

Anne Penketh in Paris has more on the two police officers shot in the attack.

Ahmed Merabet was a 42-year old policeman working with a bicycle unit at the local police station who was on patrol when he was shot in cold blood by two of the gunmen as they left the building. In a video which has now been removed from the Internet, one of the attackers can be seen shooting Merabet in the head as he pleads for his life on the ground after being wounded. Merabet, a Muslim, leaves behind a partner, according to the police union.

Franck Brinsolaro was the police bodyguard of Charlie Hebdo editor Stéphane Charbonnier. The 49 year old officer, who had worked for the police protection service since 2013, was in the editorial room where the attack took place. A police union spokesman said that the number of death threats against the satirical magazine’s editor had increased in recent days.

Britain’s Association of Chief Police Officers and the Police Federation are asking all police forces to hold ceremonies to show their respect for the two murdered French officers.

Ceremonies will take place at 10.30 am GMT, 24 hours after the attacks happened.

ACPO Vice President Sir Peter Fahy said:

Peter Fahy, the new Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, during a press conference at the Lowry Hotel, Manchester, where his new appointment was announced. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Wednesday July 23, 2008. Peter Fahy was today named as the successor to Michael Todd as the new Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police. Mr Fahy is currently Chief Constable at the Cheshire force. See PA story POLICE Manchester. Photo credit should read: Dave Thompson/PA Wire
Peter Fahy Photograph: Dave Thompson/PA

All members of the British police forces are shocked at the savagery of this attack. In any democratic society it is the role of the Police to protect basic human rights and our two French colleagues died protecting free speech. They knew the risks they were facing in carrying out their duty and clearly showed great bravery in trying to prevent the terrorists murdering others. We stand in solidarity and express our great sympathy for their families and friends.

We have to stand together against this threat and we cannot be naive or complacent about how extremist ideologies seek to justify this complete disrespect for human life and for the values which ensure the freedom and welfare of all citizens. We need the continued cooperation and support of the public to meet this threat but all members of British policing will be even more determined to face up to that very threat.

More unrest in France this morning, as the country enters a day of
official mourning.

An explosion has been reported in a restaurant near a mosque in
Villefranche-sur-Saone, eastern France. There are no reports of any injuries and the cause of the blast remains unknown.

The blast reportedly occurred around 6 am local time, according to the local newspaper Le Progress. It was not caused by a gas leak. The window of a earby fast food restaurant was shattered by the explosion.

Police have cordoned off the area, and firefighters were dispatched to the scene.

Updated

Le Pen blames radical Islamism

Marine Le Pen, leader of the French far-right Front National, has called for a “absolute refusal of Islamic fundamentalism” and blamed radical Islam for the attack.

She said:

The objective of these barbaric acts is to terrorise, to paralyse through fear, to subjugate or to censor. Indisputably after this act that traumatised the whole nation, fear is there. It is my responsibility to say that this fear must be overcome. And to say that this attack must free speech in the face of Islamic fundamentalism. We must not stay silent. And we must say what happened. We must not be scared of words: this is a terrorist act committed in the name of radical Islamism. Denial and hypocrisy are no longer an option. The absolute refusal of Islamic fundamentalism must be proclaimed high and loud by whomever. Life and liberty are among the most precious values.

Updated

Hollande meets Sarkozy

Hollande has held a meeting with his predecessor and opposition leader Nicolas Sarkozy to discuss the aftermath of the attack.

Angelique Chrisafis in Paris adds:

The Socialist president, who held crisis talks with his own government team this morning, has called for national unity and will be talking to former presidents and opposition party leaders today and tomorrow. Sarkozy, the former president and recently elected head of the main right-wing opposition party, the UMP, arrived at the Elysee at around 9:30am.

Hollande is also due to speak to former presidents, including Jacques Chirac. Other party leaders will meet Hollande at the Elysee tomorrow, including Marine Le Pen.


Meanwhile, the country was preparing for a national day of mourning, with a minutes’ silence at midday.

Updated

The Guardian’s Jason Burke, who has written a critically acclaimed book about al-Qaida, has more on the suspects:

He says the fact that Cherif Kouachi is a convicted al-Qaida extremists will raise questions over why French security authorities had not been more closely monitoring his movements.

Police and intelligence services were heavily criticised in 2012 after a 23-year-old French Muslim who had recently returned from Pakistan and Afghanistan and was connected to a wider group of extremist sympathisers went on a 10-day shooting spree, killing seven people.

Kouachi would seem to be a more obvious target for surveillance by authorities, with a record of at least a decade of involvement in militant groups. His history of involvement does not indicate any link to a major established group, more a long-term activity among disorganised local networks.

An orphan of parents of Algerian origin living in the west of France, Kouachi was first jailed for his role in a notorious group known as the Buttes-Chaumont network, named after the park in north-east Paris where members did physical training. Kouachi has a technical qualification as a sports instructor.

This photo provided by The Paris Police Prefecture Thursday, Jan.8, 2015 shows the suspect Cherif Kouachi in the newspaper attack along with a plea for witnesses. Police hunted Thursday for two heavily armed men, one with possible links to al-Qaida, in the methodical killing of 12 people at a satirical newspaper that caricatured the Prophet Muhammed. France began a day of national mourning for what its president called
Cherif Kouachi Photograph: AP

AP has more on the other suspects, Saïd Kouachi’s younger brother Cherif:

He is is reported to be a convicted Islamist who was well-known to police and had dreamed of attacking Jewish targets in France.


According to media reports, Cherif Kouachi, 32, was first considered to be a possible terrorist by the French authorities when he was in his early 20s.


He is believed to have come under the influence of a radical Paris-based Islamic preacher and was reportedly convicted of a criminal charge in 2008 after associating with an illegal organisation backing jihad in Iraq.


Kouachi, originally from the Paris suburb of Pantin, was sentenced to three years in prison with 18 months suspended.


French newspaper Liberation described Cherif Kouachi, whose parents were Algerian immigrants, as an orphan who was raised in foster care in Brittany.


He is said to have trained as a fitness instructor before moving to Paris, where he lived with his brother and worked as a shop assistant before attempting to travel to Iraq via Syria aged 23.


It is believed that Cherif was radicalised after expressing anger at the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the mistreatment of Iraqis held at Abu Ghraib prison.

This photo provided by The Paris Police Prefecture Thursday, Jan.8, 2015 shows the suspect Said Kouachi in the newspaper attack along with a plea for witnesses. Police hunted Thursday for two heavily armed men, one with possible links to al-Qaida, in the methodical killing of 12 people at a satirical newspaper that caricatured the Prophet Muhammed. France began a day of national mourning for what its president called
Said Kouachi Photograph: AP

One of the suspect attackers, Saïd Kouachi, lived in an apartment block in Reims for more than a year, a neighbour has told Le Figaro.

“We crossed each other and would say hello, we’ve never had any problems with our neighbours,” said the man, in his 50s.

He said Kouchai would sometimes wear a djellaba , a long, loose, hooded garment with full sleeves, worn in Islamic communities.


“He was practising, but I never saw him trying to convert anyone,” the neighbour is reported to have said. “His wife wore the veil, from head to feet. We are shocked and wait to see what will happen. He is a suspect but not guilty.”

Updated

The Guardian’s video team has put together a number of reports on the reaction to the attacks, including vigils across the world;

Hollande declaring national a day of mourning;

Barack Obama’s response to the attack;

and representatives of France’s Muslim community expressing their horror at the murders:

Two people have been critically injured in that shooting in a southern Paris suburb, AFP reports citing a police source.

It is still unclear whether the shooting is related to the Charlie Hebdo attack. It is reported to have occurred in the Montrough suburb near Malakoff.

Oihana Gabriel, a journalist with 20 minutes, has tweeted a picture of the blocked off Avenue Pierre Brossolette at Porte de Chatillon, between Montrouge and Malakoff.

Shooting in Paris suburb

Le Figaro has reported that a little after 8am this morning there was a shooting in Montrouge in which two police officers were hit, notes Alexandra Topping.

It is not yet known if the incident, in the southern Parisian suburb, is related to the attack on Charlie Hebdo. Sky News says it is unrelated.

Le Figaro has an eyewitness account of the shooting. It reports:

“Guillaume Thomas, a 19-year-old student who lives in Malakoff, was woken up by gunfire this morning. His apartment is situated 50m from the crossroads between avenue Pierre Brossolette and Boulevard Gabriel Péri, the same spot where the gunfire happened.

“I was woken up by the three first shots,” the student told the
Figaro. “Then I heard the cry “catch them” very loud in the road then another two gun shots.”

It was a little after 8am Paris time.

A area around the cross roads has been cordoned off. Police are carrying out identity checks in the road.

Updated

'Seven' arrests

There are reports of an arrest in the Malakoff suburb of Paris, as the interior minister confirms seven arrests overnight.

Carrie Nooten, a correspondent for Radio France, RFI, France24 TV. Has
tweeted this picture from Malakoff, a suburb five kilometres south of
the centre of Paris. She reports there have been two gunshots.

AFP reported Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve confirming the number of arrests.

“Seven people,” Cazeneuve said on French radio when asked how many people were currently being held and questioned over the attack.

A judicial source, who refused to be named, added that those who were being questioned are men and women who are close to the suspects, without saying where they had been detained.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls meanwhile told RTL radio that the two suspects were known to intelligence services and were “no doubt” being followed before Wednesday’s attack.

They have been identified as Cherif Kouachi, 32, a known jihadist convicted in 2008 for involvement in a network sending fighters to Iraq, and his 34-year-old brother Said. Both were born in Paris.

Summary

Welcome to the second day of our live coverage of the aftermath of the attack on the Paris offices of the magazine Charlie Hebdo.

Here’s a summary of the latest developments:

  • French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said “several arrests” have been made overnight in the hunt for two suspects in the deadly shooting. Preventing another attack “is our main concern,” he said.
  • Police have released the names of three suspects, including pictures of two brothers, who are believed to have been behind France’s worst terrorist attack for more than half a century. A vast manhunt is underway to find brothers Saïd and Chérif Kouachi, who were described as being in their early 30s and were considered to be armed and dangerous.
  • Chérif Kouachi, who is now 32, was sentenced to 18 months in prison in 2008 after being convicted of terrorism charges for helping funnel fighters to Iraq’s insurgency. He said at the time he was outraged atthe torture of Iraqi inmates at the US prison at Abu Ghraib near Baghdad.
  • Police also named 18-year-old suspect Hamyd Mourad after he turned himself in at a police station in Charleville-Mézières, a small town in France’s eastern Champagne region. There are reports that the teenager decided to go to the police after seeing his name on social media.
  • President François Hollande has declared a day of national mourning. Flags will flags at half-mast for three days, and a minute’s silence will be observed at midday across the country and the bells of Notre Dame in the capital will toll.
  • Details of the 12 victims have been confirmed. Eight of the victims were journalists with the magazine, including the publisher and lead cartoonist. A building maintenance worker, a visitor to the magazine and two policemen were also killed.
  • Witnesses described hearing the attackers shout “Allahu akbar” as well as “we have avenged the Prophet”. Two eyewitnesses said they claimed to be from al-Qaida.
  • France has raised its terror alert system to the maximum and bolstered security with more than 800 extra soldiers to guard media offices, places of worship, transport and other sensitive areas. Top government officials are to meet Thursday morning.

You can catch up on our previous live blogs here and here.

Updated

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