Firefighters carry an injured man on a stretcher in front of the offices of the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris on January 7, 2015, after armed gunmen stormed the offices leaving at least 10 dead – AFP
PARIS: At least 12 people were killed when gunmen armed with Kalashnikovs and a rocket-launcher opened fire in the offices of French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday.
French President Francois Hollande has called an emergency cabinet meeting.
A source close to the investigation said two men “armed with a Kalashnikov and a rocket-launcher” stormed the building in central Paris and “fire was exchanged with security forces.”
The source said gunmen had hijacked a car and knocked over a pedestrian as he sped away.
The publication’s cartoonist Renaud Luzier earlier told AFP there were “casualties” after the incident.
The satirical magazine gained notoriety in February 2006 when it reprinted cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed that had originally appeared in Danish daily Jyllands-Posten, causing fury across the Muslim world.
Its offices were fire-bombed in November 2011 when it published a cartoon of the Prophet.
Despite being taken to court under anti-racism laws, the magazine continued to publish controversial cartoons. – AFP
