11 dead in attack on Paris newspaper; France goes on alert

4 minutes ago

By JAMEY KEATEN

The Associated Press

Published: January 7, 2015

PARIS — Masked gunmen have stormed the Paris offices of a satirical newspaper, killing 11 people before escaping, in France's deadliest terror attack in at least two decades.

French President Francois Hollande says the attack on the Charlie Hebdo weekly, which has frequently drawn condemnation from Muslims, is "a terrorist attack, without a doubt," and says several other attacks have been thwarted "in recent weeks."

France has raised its alert to the highest level, and reinforced security at houses of worship, stores, media offices and transportation.

Xavier Castaing, head of communications for the Paris police prefecture, confirmed the deaths in the shooting at the offices of Charlie Hebdo, a satirical weekly that been repeatedly threatened for publishing caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad, among other controversial sketches.

Hollande rushed to the scene and top government officials planned an emergency meeting.

Luc Poignant, an official of the SBP police union, said the attackers escaped in two vehicles.

A witness to the attack, Benoit Bringer, told the iTele network he saw multiple masked men armed with automatic weapons at the newspaper's office in central Paris.

Charlie Hebdo's offices were firebombed in 2011 after a spoof issue featuring a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad on its cover. Nearly a year later, the publication again published crude Muhammad caricatures, drawing denunciations around the Muslim world.