As it happened: Charlie Hebdo attack

1. Gunmen have attacked the offices of French magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris, killing 12 people including the editor and celebrated cartoonists
2. The hunt is on for three suspects, named by police as Hamyd Mourad and brothers Said Kouachi and Cherif Kouachi.
3. It is the deadliest terror attack in France since 1961 during the Algerian war
4. President Hollande said it was an act of "extreme barbarity", with many foreign leaders also condemning the attack
5. In 2011, the satirical publication was firebombed after naming the Prophet Muhammad as its "editor-in-chief"

We're bringing to an end our live text coverage of a gun attack on the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris, which left 12 people dead. French police are still hunting for two brothers, Said and Cherif Kouachi, in connection with the attack, after another suspect reportedly handed himself in. We'll continue to bring you updates on our main story page. Thanks for following the story on BBC News.

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Neelabh Banerjee

Cartoonists unite

Neelabh Banerjee Horrible attack. Cartoonists across the world are uniting against bloodshed and violence.

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Joey Tranchina

Vigil held in Sète, France

Joey Tranchina sent in this photo of the vigil held in Sète, France.

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Hamed Saeedi: In my Islamic upbringing I was taught that the pen is man's strongest weapon. These extremists must know that they can never silence freedom of speech, for it is a stronger weapon than any they'd dare to carry. Why couldn't they answer peacefully through the pen as our prophet likely would have? True Islam condemns such attacks, more so when they are ignorantly and violently carried out in its name. Long live freedom of expression, religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence.

We've put together a selection of eyewitness accounts from those who were present during the attack in Central Paris on Wednesday. One of the magazine's illustrators, Corinne Rey, said two armed, masked men "brutally threatened" her in order to gain access to the building. The gunmen "spoke perfect French" and claimed to belong to al-Qaeda, according to Ms Rey.

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Reuters

Police officers stand guard outside a flat in Reims as investigators search inside.

FRENCH POLICE

French police have released these photos of the two brothers wanted in connection with the attacks. Cherif Kouachi (l) is 32, and his brother Said is 34.

French police have issued arrest warrants for brothers Cherif Kouachi, 32, and Said Kouachi, 34, AFP says. They have appealed to the public for information but warned that the men were "likely armed and dangerous".

A hashtag called #MouradHamydInnocent is trending in France, reportedly started by classmates of 18-year-old Hamyd Mourad who say they were in class with him at the time of the attack.

Sources tell AFP that 18-year-old Hamyd Mourad surrendered to police at 23:00 local time on Wednesday "after seeing his name circulating on social media". "He has been arrested and taken into custody," another source told the agency.

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Nihaad Hosany: It's so awful. Because of three idiots, three terrorists, the Muslim community will suffer again. Islam is a religion of peace and understanding. Not this monstrosity. It's really awful that people are capable of such acts. My deepest sympathies to the families.

Hamyd Mourad, the youngest of the three suspects. has surrendered to police, sources tell AFP.

Reuters

Rallies condemning the attack are taking place across the world, including this one in Quebec, Canada.

Alex Green

Alex Green sent in this cartoon.

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Mehboob Mirza: It is a sad & tragic day. RIP. What is more insulting to the Prophet (peace be upon him) than satirical cartoons are those who murder innocent people in his name.

Hugo Clement

France 2 TV reporter

has tweeted this picture of police searching a flat in Reims, where an anti-terror raid is taking place.

@hugoclement

BreakingBreaking News

Police say the three suspects they are pursuing in connection with the attack are Hamyd Mourad and brothers Said Kouachi and Cherif Kouachi.

Cartoonists respond

@BBCTrending have put together a gallery of cartoonist's responses to the Charlie Hebdo attack.

Satish Acharya

One minute silence in Nice

Alice Patalacci

Nice

tweets: "One minute of silence for #CharlieHabdo in Place Garibaldi in Nice"

ALICE PATALACCI

French government boosts security in the capital.

French soldiers disembark at Le Bourget airport, north of Paris, as part of a deployment of soldiers to enhance security in Paris.

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Picture from the scene of reported raid in Reims

Charles-Henry Boudet

France 3 TV journalist

is in Reims where a police anti-terror raid is taking place and has tweeted this picture from the scene:

@MisterCHCH

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Meryl Cumins: Commiserations to the injured and the families of the dead. Fraternity, Equality and most of all, Liberty. Where freedom of speech is an alien concept there can be only tyranny.

More details on the reported raid in Reims

AFP has more details from that police raid reportedly taking place in Reims in north-eastern France. A member of France's elite anti-terror unit has called on journalists at the scene to remain "vigilant", warning that there would "a showdown" or that the suspects could escape, the agency says.

Charlie Hebdo dominates US and European press as well

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Damian Grammaticas

BBC News

tweets: Multiple reports of police raids in Reims as police search for #CharlieHebdo suspects, 1 of 3 identified is from Reims

BreakingBreaking News

Police say an anti-terror raid is under way in the north-eastern city of Reims, according to the AFP news agency.

Charlie Hebdo attack dominates UK front pages

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Tensions 'sharp' in France

BBC correspondent Fergal Keane reports that tensions over the role of Islam have "sharpened" in France over recent years.

He adds: "Along with that there is resentment over French policy in the Arab world which has radicalised many youth."

'France has never seen terror like this'

The BBC's Hugh Schofield has written about how the attack on Charlie Hebdo will be felt in France.

He says today "will remain engraved in the national memory."

BBC

Reaction from Denmark

In response to Wednesday's attack, at least three Danish newspapers are planning to print copies of cartoons from Charlie Hebdo, according to the BBC's Malcolm Brabant in Copenhagen.

But none of the Copenhagen press are planning to reprint the 12 Danish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that ignited anger in some areas of the Muslim world seven years ago. Yet security has been tightened at all of the country's media outlets as a result of the massacre.

The editor of the tabloid BT said he would be running with Charlie Hebdo's most controversial cover - one that showed a weeping Muhammad overwhelmed by fundamentalists, lamenting that it was hard being loved by idiots.

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BBC News website reader: My heart bleeds and I'm shaken to the core by what happened to fellow journalists that only did their job (and did it well).

Attack was 'well executed'

Former CIA counter-terrorism analyst Aki Peritz tells BBC World News that that the attacks appear to have been "very professional, well thought out, well researched and well executed".

He says it is significant that apart from the police, the only other targets were journalists and nobody else inside the Charlie Hebdo office was killed.

French newspaper changes name

The Paris Normandie newspaper has expressed its solidarity with those killed in today's attack, publishing a front page which alters the name of the publication in honour of Charlie Hebdo.

PAris normandie

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Roger Collinge: As an ordinary citizen lucky enough to live in a country with free speech I join my name in support of this magazine and all who work for it with deepest sympathy to those who have suffered from this horror. Freedom of speech means what it says. It includes the right to be scurrilous and silly but it must remain. Those who oppose freedom of speech must be defeated.

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Joachim: My thoughts are with Paris tonight. My pen will be firmly in the air.

Analysis from the BBC's Frank Gardner

The BBC's Security Correspondent Frank Gardner says that the Charlie Hebdo attack did not come out of the blue. It comes after a string of recent attacks, albeit less high-profile and resulting in fewer casualties.

BBC

More details on the suspects

Reuters is reporting more details on the three suspects being sought by French police. Officers are looking for two brothers in the Paris region and another man in the north-eastern city of Reims, according to the news agency. It quotes a government source as saying the two brothers are 32 and 34 years of age and the third suspect is 18 years old.

French media say police have identified the three gunmen

Le Monde reports that police sources have said that the three gunmen have been identified.

Struggle with Islamism

Caroline Wyatt, BBC Religious affairs correspondent has just posted this:

The killings at Charlie Hebdo are a deeply unwelcome reminder to the west that for some, mainly young radicalised men, their fundamentalist interpretation of their religion matters enough to kill those who offend it.

As a result, across western Europe, liberally-minded societies are beginning to divide over how best to deal with radical Islamism and its impact on their countries, while governments agonise over the potential for a backlash against Muslims living in Europe.

Today, mainstream Muslim organisations in the UK and France have unequivocally condemned the killings, saying that terrorism is an affront to Islam.

But the potential backlash, including support for far right parties and groups, may well hurt ordinary Muslims more than anyone else, leaving the authorities and religious leaders in western Europe wondering how to confront violence in the name of religion without victimizing minorities or being accused of "Islamophobia".

Caroline Wyatt's full piece can be read here:

How long will unity last?

The BBC's Paris correspondent Hugh Schofield says that France has just lived through "one of those days which remain engraved in the national memory".

He adds: "Today everyone can share in the common defence of French values...But how long this unity will last is another question.

"Soon there will be the discordant voices. On the one hand there will be those saying the real lesson of the attack is that France should drop its 'naivety' concerning Islamism in the banlieues.

"On the other side there will be those warning against what the French call l'amalgame - i.e. lumping all Muslims together and claiming that the problem resides somewhere with their religion."

Londoners sing French national anthem

Reuters

People attending a rally in Trafalgar Square, central London, have been singing La Marseillaise, France's national anthem.

People in Paris hold up their pens in protest

Sruthi Gottipati

Journalist Sruthi Gottipati took this photo in Paris, France.

Eric Albert, French journalist

Eric Albert tells the BBC News Channel he fears what will happen over the coming days in France due to what he calls the "malaise" afflicting society.

"There will be unity for a while because of the horror and shock," he said. "What's going to happen after that?"

President Francois Hollande speaking:

President Hollande, in a brief address, said that "nothing can divide us, nothing can separate us".

He added: "We will win. Nothing will make us renounce our determination. Long live the republic. Long live France."

Reuters

National day of mourning

President Francois Hollande is making a televised address to the nation. He has announced a national day of mourning on Thursday.

Rallies across Europe

Rallies have been taking place across Europe in support of Charlie Hebdo. From top, a protester in Lausanne, Switzerland; the European Parliament in Brussels; Trafalgar Square in central London; a rally outside the French embassy in Madrid.

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AFP holds minute silence for Charlie Hebdo

Agence France Presse tweets pictures from inside their newsroom in Paris, where journalists held a minute's silence holding "Je Suis Charlie" posters:

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Google's black ribbon

Google France has added a black ribbon to its homepage following today's attacks.

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Cartoonists respond to Charlie Hebdo attack

A number of cartoonists have drawn images responding to today's attack on Charlie Hebdo, expressing support and solidarity with the magazine and principles of free speech and freedom of expression.

@Bouletcorp:

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@malaimagen:

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@OriolMalet:

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@Maumontmaumont:

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@jean_jullien:

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@joepbertrams:

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Attack did 'not come out of blue'

BBC Security Correspondent Frank Gardner notes that the attack has not come out of the blue. The journalists behind Charlie Hebdo had plenty of enemies, he says, and its decision to publish a string of cartoons deemed offensive by some Muslims had made it a target for Islamist extremists.

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Orlando: Over a thousand people have said they will be in Trafalgar Square from 6pm this evening. I think it could be a lot more as not everyone has had time to log into FB. I'll be there with 4 friends.

UN Security Council condemns attack

The United Nations Security Council has joined the chorus of condemnation, calling the attack "barbaric and cowardly".

The Globe and Mail's Mark MacKinnon took this picture at the Place de la Republique in Paris, where crowds are gathering to express solidarity with the magazine:

Mark MacKinnon

Steve Bell, Guardian cartoonist

BBC

Steve Bell tells BBC News channel: "We've got to stand up for the right to take the piss out of these monsters, these idiots, these fools, these posturing maniacs who strut around in their black gear as a kind of death cult trying to frighten us all."

French papers carry black banners

Websites of major French dailies, including Liberation, Le Monde, and Le Figaro, carry black banners expressing solidarity with Charlie Hebdo by using the #JeSuisCharlie hashtag which is trending on Twitter.

Le Monde

French prosecutor seeks arrests 'as soon as possible'

Prosecutor Francois Molins declines to give details of the investigation:

"The idea is to keep confidentiality and make sure this inquiry is successful, so we have to try to arrest the individuals that committed these murders as soon as possible."

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Samantha Power, US ambassador to the United Nations

tweets: Terrorist attack on #CharlieHebdo is despicable assault on our societies/values. Deepest sympathies w/ victims' loved ones & French ppl.

Mark MacKinnon, Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper

tweets: "Hardest thing to find in Paris tonight is a copy of #CharlieHebdo. Sold out at every newsstand I've visited."

Charlie Hebdo website says "Je Suis Charlie" in multiple languages

The Charlie Hebdo website has published a pdf file translating the solidarity message "Je suis Charlie" into several languages, including Arabic.

Charlie Hebdo

#CharlieHebdo demonstration in Nice

Robin Jouan

@Robin ANEMF took this photo of a demonstration in Nice, France.

Large crowds in Place de la Republique

Large crowds are gathering in Place de Republique in central Paris following the attack on Charlie Hebdo magazine's office.

AFP

In pictures: Gun attack on Charlie Hebdo

The BBC has put together a photo gallery of the attack today at Charlie Hebdo magazine:

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Minute's silence

French football club Lille has said it will hold a minute's silence before its forthcoming match against Evian. Both clubs are due to wear black armbands for the tie.

Rally in Republic Square

People are holding up pens and pencils at a rally in Paris's Republic Square.

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Vigil in Trafalgar Square

British newspaper The Independent tweets that there will be a vigil in London's Trafalgar Square this evening in solidarity with Charlie Hebdo magazine

Twitter

Ian Hislop, editor of Private Eye, condemns attack

BBC

The editor of British satirical magazine Private Eye Ian Hislop has released a statement to the British press on the Charlie Hebdo attacks.

"I am appalled and shocked by this horrific attack - a murderous attack on free speech in the heart of Europe.

I offer my condolences to the families and friends of those killed - the cartoonists, journalists and those who were trying to protect them.

They paid a very high price for exercising their comic liberty.

Very little seems funny today."

Charlie Hebdo's final tweet

BBC Trending has published a post looking into Charlie Hebdo's mysterious final tweet before the attack in Paris.

"Is it just a coincidence that this image was tweeted at around the time of the attack? The illustration bears the signature of Honoré, a famous French illustrator - but it's unclear whether it's his work or when it was actually drawn. BBC Trending has tried to contact Honoré and will post an update if we hear back from him."

Julia Macfarlane

Statement of support

Luc Bronner, an editor from Le Monde, has tweeted a copy of a joint statement from Radio France, Le Monde and France Télévisions offering technical support to help Charlie Hebdo continue working after today's attack.

#CharlieHebdo demonstration in Lyon

Marine Duc

@marchanddenuage took this photo of a demonstration in Lyon, France.

Stuart Parker, Publisher

emails: Simply to add our name to the growing list of publishers who in their own small way offer their support to the friends and family of those journalists who were killed and injured in today's attack in Paris. My father fought in WW2 along with many others to secure all our freedoms - freedom of speech being the upmost freedom.

Controversial cartoons

Despite speculation that the attack was a response to Charlie Hebdo's run of controversial cartoons, some publications are taking the decision to reprint them. In Egypt, the daily Al Masry Al Youm newspaper has run a selection of the magazine's illustrations - including the recent cartoon lampooning Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of Islamic State.

David Pope, Political cartoonist @ The Canberra Times

tweets: Can't sleep tonight, thoughts with my French cartooning colleagues, their families and loved ones #CharlieHebdo See photo

Le Monde runs cartoon tribute

Le Monde has run the following cartoon from Plantu, one of its regular illustrators, in tribute to the victims of today's attack. It says "With Charlie Hebdo, wholeheartedly."

Le Monde

Get involved

@chrisPcritttertweets: Much respect to #CharlieHebdo for their bravery and fearlessness in their mission and art. #JeSuisCharlie

Paris imam condemns attack

Hassan Chalghoumi - an imam of the Paris suburb of Drancy, visited the site of the attack at Charlie Hebdo headquarters.

Of the attackers, he said: "Their prophet is Satan. There is no connection between the Islamic faith and this minority."

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Statement from Salman Rushdie, British author

The Booker Prize-winning writer has released the following statement: "Religion, a mediaeval form of unreason, when combined with modern weaponry becomes a real threat to our freedoms.

"This religious totalitarianism has caused a deadly mutation in the heart of Islam and we see the tragic consequences in Paris today.

"I stand with Charlie Hebdo, as we all must, to defend the art of satire, which has always been a force for liberty and against tyranny, dishonesty and stupidity.

"'Respect for religion' has become a code phrase meaning 'fear of religion.' Religions, like all other ideas, deserve criticism, satire, and, yes, our fearless disrespect."

Tradition of irreverence

Charlie Hebdo typified the long-running tradition of scurrilous French satire. Here is one of its more provocative front pages from 2012, showing an Orthodox Jew pushing an old Muslim in a wheelchair, both shouting "You mustn't make fun!"

charlie hebdo

A reminder, we profile the magazine here:

BritishMonarchy

tweets: The Queen has sent this message to @fhollande and the people of France following the attack in #Paris today. See photo

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Adam: For those who know Charlie Hebdo they are a satirical publication. They cover any topics, any religion. Does a small group of lunatics really think they can shut freedom of speech and press with their violence?

Human Rights Watch statement

The horrific attack at the Charlie Hebdo office on January 7, 2015, led to the death of 12 people, including two policemen.

Nothing can justify such an attack and those who organised and committed these crimes should be brought to justice, Human Rights Watch said.

France should protect freedom of expression and guard against any backlash against particular groups.

Economist reportedly among the dead

Many sources are now reporting that French economist and writer Bernard Maris is among the dead following today's shooting.

Charlie Hebdo website back online

The Charlie Hebdo website is back online after reportedly being down following the attack in Paris.

It now shows the single image "Je Suis Charlie" ("I Am Charlie"), which has been trending worldwide on social media.

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Get involved

@MFKerrtweets: Someone is trying to prove that the sword is mightier than the pen. It will be if we don't all fight back. #CharlieHebdo

John Kerry speaking:

More John Kerry reaction: "Free expression and a free press are core values. They are universal principles that can be attacked, but never eradicated.

"Today's murders are part of a large confrontation...between civilisation itself, and those opposed to the civilised world."

Police say manhunt underway; shootout ensued between police and gunmen

A police spokesman, Emmanuel Quemener, has been giving more details about the investigation:

"We have descriptions; our colleagues at the judicial police are in contact with the people who were present at the time of the event. These people will be interrogated, it involves a group of three hooded suspects with heavy weapons who fled the scene before they could be arrested."

"Unfortunately they came across colleagues in police cars, on whom they opened fire. There were colleagues who retaliated. They [the suspects] succeeded in spite of everything to escape, currently they are actively trying to find them."

John Kerry speaking:

US Secretary of State John Kerry is speaking about the attacks.

He said: "We stand with you in solidarity and in commitment both to the cause of confronting extremism and in the cause which the extremists fear so much and which has always united our two countries: freedom."

Eyewitness says she let gunmen into building after receiving threats

French newspaper L'Humanite has spoken to designer Corinne Rey who says she was at the building at the time of the attack.

She describes how two gunmen threatened her in order to gain access to the building by forcing her to type in the entrance code.

Floral tribute

Today's attack has drawn sympathy from across the globe. In Berlin a floral tribute has been left outside the French Embassy.

EPA

Peter Tatchell, civil liberties campaigner

tweets: In response to the #CharlieHebdo massacre we must not suppress liberties in the name of defending them - that's what the terrorists want

Robert Mankoff, New Yorker

This cartoon of an empty box taken from the New Yorker has been tweeted thousands of times

Frederic Gerschel, Le Parisien

tweets: A minute of silence at @le_Parisien in solidarity with the victims of the Charlie Hebdo attack

Twitter

The Arab League and Al-Azhar University condemn attack

The Arab League and Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam's most prestigious centre of learning in Egypt, both issued statements:

"Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi strongly condemns the terrorist attack on Charlie Hebdo newspaper in Paris."

Al-Azhar condemned the "criminal attack," saying that "Islam denounces any violence".

French journalist Soren Seelow tweets: Spontaneous rally at Republic Square after the attack on Charlie Hebdo

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Profile: Stephane "Charb" Charbonnier, editor of Charlie Hebdo

The BBC has profiled the Charlie Hebdo editor Stephane Charbonnier, who was killed in the attack in Paris.

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Footballer Vincent Kompany, the Manchester City and Belgium captain, is among those using the #JeSuisCharlie hashtag to express solidarity with the victims of today's shooting.

An attack similar to the one in Paris could happen in the UK, according to Mohammed Shafiq from the Ramadhan Foundation, which works with young British Muslims. He said "the thing that keeps me up at night is the fact that we have these lone wolves".

Charlie Hebdo's most recent tweet

The most recent tweet from Charlie Hebdo's official account was an image of a cartoon depicting the leader of Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, with the words, "Best wishes, by the way. To you too, al-Baghdadi," while he says, "especially to your health."

It is not known at this stage if the tweet has any connection to the attack which was reported to have started around the same time.

BBC Trending is looking in detail at social media amid the attack.

Twitter

Trade unionists at Syndicat National des Journalistes want newsrooms to observe a moment of silence. They said of the attack: "When journalists are killed, it is done to make an entire profession feel fear; it is done to silence".

Russian President Vladimir Putin has condemned "this cynical crime" and offered his condolences to the victims and their families.

French far right leader Marine Le Pen has said she will release a statement on today's shootings at 4.30pm French time.

Mustafa Akyol, newspaper columnist

tweets: As a Muslim, I condemn the cruel attack on #CharlieHebdo & offer condolences to the French people. The "Islam" of the murderers is not mine.

US President Barack Obama has condemned the Paris attack and what he calls "the hateful vision of these killers".

Get involved

@siobhanheanue tweets: Parisians will take to the streets tonight, for freedom of the press, democracy and the Republic #CharlieHebdo

Reuters is reporting that Jyllands-Posten, the Danish newspaper that triggered protests in some Muslim countries after publishing cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, has increased its security following today's attack.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve is currently giving a statement. He says that the authorities are hunting three attackers in connection with the shooting.

Mayor of Paris calls for a march tomorrow evening

Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, has released a statement on Facebook condemning the attack and calling for a march on Thursday through Paris's Republic Square at 6pm.

She says: "I feel a sense of absolute horror at the attack... We must respond to this act through the sacred union around the principles of the Republic."

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People are using the hashtag "#JeSuisCharlie" (I am Charlie) to express sympathy for the people killed in the attack in Paris.

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Jacques Myard, French MP with opposition party UMP, said: "We knew something would happen. The (security) services used to say to us it's not if but when and where. We know that we are at war. The Western nations - like Britain, France, Germany - we are at war."

François Picard, France 24

tweets: "Still no attacks in France. We have until end of Jan to present wishes."Chilling prophecy by @Charlie_Hebdo_'s Charb:

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French Justice Minister Christiane Taubira reacts outside the headquarters of Charlie Hebdo.

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Stephane Charbonnier, the magazine's editor-in-chief reportedly killed in the attack, had received death threats in the past and was living under police protection.

More from the US: White House spokesman Josh Earnest told CNN he condemned the attack in the strongest possible terms. "It's not just an attack on the people of France, it's an attack on some of the basic values we hold dear in this country - freedom of speech, freedom of expression and a free press."

Get involved

@rayverma tweets: #Paris, you're on my mind. The darkest moment in the history of French media. To my French family - stay safe. #ParisShooting #CharlieHebdo

Get involved

@MadJoannaOlive tweets: "This is not in the name of Islam. These ppl don't represent ANY religion. No matter what they say. Disgraceful & heartbreaking #CharlieHebdo"

The French government has sent soldiers to protect public spaces in Paris.

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BreakingBreaking News

Three other cartoonists killed have been named by AFP as Jean Cabut ("Cabut"), Bernard Verlhac ("Tignous") and Georges Wolinski ("Wolinski").

The director of Le Monde newspaper, Gilles Van Kote, has condemned the attack on Charlie Hebdo, saying: "The killing that occurred [today] only reinforces our belief that it is necessary to fight against ignorance, intolerance, obscurantism and fanaticism. It is more vital than ever to remember that freedom of the press is not negotiable."

Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard, whose work depicting the Prophet Muhammad was reprinted in Charlie Hebdo, said he hoped "the moderate majority of Muslims" would condemn the attack.

BBC Trending has pulled together some of the tweets to emerge from the attack.

BreakingBreaking News

The editor-in-chief of Charlie Hebdo, Stephane Charbonnier, known as Charb, has reportedly been killed in the attack, judicial sources tell Agence France Presse.

Video of the gunmen fleeing the attack has emerged.

People stand outside the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo's office after the shooting.

AP

French politician Philip Cordery said a democratic freedom had been attacked: "Not only France, the whole of Europe is under shock today because by doing this horrendous act, the terrorists are once again attacking one of the important symbols of freedom, which is freedom of the press... and I think it's important for all democrats to unite and fight strongly against terrorism."

Fiamnetta Venner, who used to work at Charlie Hebdo, tells the BBC that journalists at the magazine had been afraid such an attack might happen: "We all were frightened of this moment, and this moment arrived. All of our friends who died, each day we will integrate them inside us. But I think they have just woken up an entire nation, because it's a generation of artists, of journalists who disappeared today."

French President Francois Hollande (centre left), flanked by Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve (right), walk outside the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo's office in Paris.

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Echoing the language of other world leaders, Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called the attack "a barbaric act and an outrageous attack on press freedom".

More from Chancellor Merkel: "I'm shocked to receive the news of the malicious attack on a newspaper office in Paris. In these hours of pain I would like to express to you and your countrymen the sympathy of the German nation."

Some of the magazine's cartoonists are among the dead, Le Point has reported.

French police officers and forensic experts examine a car used by armed gunmen who stormed the Paris offices of satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo.

AFP

The attackers went to the second floor of the Hebdo offices and started firing indiscriminately in the newsroom, Christophe DeLoire of Reporters Without Borders tells AP news agency. "This is the darkest day of the history of the French press," he said.

Italian President Matteo Renzi has added his voice to international condemnation of the attack, tweeting that "violence will always lose against freedom".

Chancellor Merkel said the shootings in France are not only an attack on French citizens, but on freedoms of the press and speech.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has condemned the attack as "abominable".

French terrorism expert Jean Charles Brisard tells the BBC that the attack was well planned: "What we can say is, looking at the images and videos that are coming out, is the individuals were well-prepared, well-equipped; they had military-style weapons; they had probably bullet-proof jackets. So these individuals were well trained and determined indeed to commit this terrorist act, which is probably the worst that we've experienced in French history in the last 30 years."