| – Freedom of expression under attack – world leadersTwelve people were killed by gunmen, armed with AK-47s, who attacked the offices of Charlie Hebdo, a publication in Paris,Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys China, France that has enraged Muslims for publishing cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad.18-year-old Hamyd Mourad, has turned himself in, French police confirmed late last night. The officials identified the other suspects as Said Kouachi and Cherif Kouachi, two relatives both in their 30s, both French.But within hours, it seemed that even the identity of the suspects may be questionable. The man who surrendered said that he saw his name on television and turned himself in. He was in classes at the university at the time of the attack.News reports said that the men were linked to a Yemeni terrorist network. Cherif Kouachi was convicted in 2008 of terrorism charges for helping funnel fighters to Iraq’s insurgency and sentenced to 18 months in prison.On their way to the magazine office, the hooded men killed a maintenance worker, then stormed into an editorial meeting, where they killed eight journalists.The attack mirrored the threat by Attorney General Anil Nandlall in a telephone conversation with Kaieteur News reporter, Leonard Gildarie.A source familiar with the Paris investigation told NBC News that the men targeted those magazine employees who had created or published cartoons showing Muhammad — asking for their victims by name. They executed editor and cartoonist, Stephane Charbonnier, popularly known as Charb; Bernard Maris, a Bank of France economist who was a columnist for the magazine; and three cartoonists.A security officer and a guest were also gunned down. As they fled, they killed a second police officer. Eleven other people were injured,Nike Air Max 90 Danmark, four of them critically, officials said.Because the masked, black-clad gunmen attacked with militaristic precision and left the scene with shouts of “Allahu Akbar,Air Max 90 Pas Cher Site Francais,” the killers were suspected to be well-trained Islamic extremists.Later, there was a lot of information available about Mourad and Said Kouachi. Cherif Kouachi has been suspected of involvement in terrorist groups for at least a decade. In January 2005, he and another French national were arrested in Paris as they were planning to fly to Iraq via Syria. Kouachi was described at the time as one of two deputies to the leader of an operation to send young volunteers to Iraq to fight U.S.-led forces.Authorities linked the operation to the 19th Arrondissement Network, named for the Paris district where it was based, which is home to many Muslim families with roots in France’s former North African colonies.ShockWhile authorities hunted the suspects yesterday, shock and mourning spread across Paris and the rest of France, a country with an estimated 5 million Muslims. France has a long, troubled relationship with its Arab immigrants and a more recent history of unrest among young native-born Muslims.There has been growing concerns about young men and women returning to France after joining jihadist activity in the Middle East.Thousands of Parisians took to the streets in spontaneous and defiant demonstrations of unity. They lighted candles and held signs declaring “Je Suis Charlie” (“I am Charlie”) in reference to the magazine. At the Place de la Republique, they crammed themselves up onto the monument in the middle of the square and chanted “Charlie! Liberty!” Candles, posters and signs covered the three statues representing Liberty, Equality and Fraternity — the bedrock of French values.“They want to scare French citizens and prohibit any criticism of religion, so here we are to remind them that religion can be freely criticized,” said Sasha Reingewirtz, 28, president of the Jewish Students Union.President Francois Hollande declared Thursday a day of national mourning and called for a minute of silence at noon. Flags will fly at half-staff for three days. The government raised its terrorism threat level to its highest grade and announced that security forces would be deployed at media outlets, major shopping venues, sites of religious worship and transportation networks in the Paris region.A witness who works in the office opposite the magazine saw two hooded men, dressed in black, enter the building heavily armed.“We then heard them open fire inside, with many shots,” he said. “We were all evacuated to the roof. After several minutes, the men fled, after having continued firing in the middle of the street.”AmbushedCorinne Rey, 32, who survived Wednesday’s massacre at the Parisian magazine Charlie Hebdo, said she was ambushed when she returned to work.“I just went to get my daughter from kindergarten,” she said in a harrowing account to the French publication L’Humanite. “As I got to the front door of the building, two masked, armed gunmen brutally threatened us.”Rey, an award-winning cartoonist who draws under the name Coco and makes her living skewering politicians and fanatics of all stripes, said the gunmen were wearing balaclavas.“They spoke perfect French,Air Max 90 Uitverkoop,” she said. “They said they were from Al Qaeda.”They also told her exactly what they wanted.“They wanted to come in, go up,” she said.Fearing for her life and that of her daughter, Rey did as she was told.“I typed out the code,Cheap Shoes Nz,” she said, referring to security system code that unlocks the main door.Seconds later, the gunmen burst into the newsroom and started shooting, killing with a ruthless efficiency.Rey said she looked on helplessly as fellow cartoonists Georges Wolinski and Jean (Cabu) Cabut were murdered in cold blood right before her eyes.“They shot on Wolinski, Cabu … it last five minutes,” she said. “I took shelter under a desk.”One unsettling video, posted to YouTube, shows two men shooting on a Paris street, then walking up and firing point-blank at a seemingly wounded man as he lay on the ground.Video shows a gunman approaching his getaway car and raising his finger in the air in what appears to be a signal, possibly to another vehicle or other people who might have played a role in the attack.Some experts warned that how well the gunmen wielded their weapons, hid their identities and apparently planned their escape showed a marked difference from previous “lone wolf” attacks — and could be a game changer.Armed soldiers were seen standing guard outside monuments, in transit stations and elsewhere in well-trafficked spots around France by Wednesday evening.Prime Minister Manuel Valls raised France’s security to its highest level — “attack alert” — after the Charlie Hebdo bloodshed. That means there will be reinforced security at media company offices, major stores, religious centers and on public transport, Valls’ office said in a statement.Police impounded a black Citroen in northeastern Paris similar to the one purportedly used by the attackers as a getaway car. (Stories from CNN, ABC, NBC,Jerseys NFL China, New York Daily News) |
