Thread: Paris Terror Attack

12 dead in terrorist attack on Paris weekly; gunmen escape
By JAMEY KEATEN and LORI HINNANT, Associated Press
21 mins ago

PARIS (AP) — Masked gunmen stormed the Paris offices of a weekly newspaper that caricatured the Prophet Muhammad, methodically killing 12 people Wednesday, including the editor, before escaping in a car. It was France's deadliest postwar terrorist attack.

Shouting "Allahu akbar!" as they fired, the men also spoke flawless, unaccented French in the military-style noon-time attack on the weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo, located near Paris' Bastille monument. The publication's depictions of Islam have drawn condemnation and threats before — it was firebombed in 2011 — although it also satirized other religions and political figures.

President Francois Hollande called the slayings "a terrorist attack without a doubt," and said several other attacks have been thwarted in France in recent weeks. Fears have been running high in France and elsewhere in Europe that jihadis returning from conflicts in Syria and Iraq will stage attacks at home.

France raised its security alert to the highest level and reinforced protective measures at houses of worship, stores, media offices and transportation. Schools closed across Paris, although thousands of people jammed Republique Square near the site of the shooting to honor the victims, holding aloft pens and papers reading "Je suis Charlie" — "I am Charlie."

Top government officials held an emergency meeting and Hollande planned a nationally televised address later Wednesday evening.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which also left four people critically wounded, and was condemned by world leaders as an attack on freedom of expression, but praised by supporters of the militant Islamic State group.

Clad all in black with hoods and carrying machine guns, the attackers forced one of the cartoonists arriving at the office building with her young daughter to open the door with a security code.

The staff was in an editorial meeting and the gunmen headed straight for the paper's editor, Stephane Charbonnier — widely known by his pen name Charb — killing him and his police bodyguard first, said Christophe Crepin, a police union spokesman. Minutes later, two men strolled out to a black car waiting below, calmly firing on a police officer, with one gunman shooting him in the head as he writhed on the ground, according to video and a man who watched in fear from his home across the street.

The witness, who refused to allow his name to be used because he feared for his safety, said the attackers were so methodical he first mistook them for France's elite anti-terrorism forces. Then they fired on the officer.

"They knew exactly what they had to do and exactly where to shoot. While one kept watch and checked that the traffic was good for them, the other one delivered the final coup de grace," he said. "They ran back to the car. The moment they got in, the car drove off almost casually."

The witness added: "I think they were extremely well-trained, and they knew exactly down to the centimeter and even to the second what they had to do."

Eight journalists, a guest and two police officers were killed, said Paris prosecutor Francois Molins. Among the dead were Bernard Maris, an economist who a contributor to the newspaper and was heard regularly on French radio, and cartoonists Georges Wolinski and Berbard Verlhac, better known as Tignous.

"Hey! We avenged the Prophet Muhammad! We killed Charlie Hebdo," one of the men shouted in French, according to a video shot from a nearby building and broadcast on French TV. Other video showed two gunmen in black at a crossroads who appeared to fire down one of the streets. A cry of "Allahu akbar!" — Arabic for "God is great"— could be heard among the gunshots.

The video showed the killers moving deliberately and calmly. One even bent over to toss a fallen shoe back into the small black car before it sped off. The car was later found abandoned in northern Paris, the prosecutor said, and they hijacked a Renault Clio. There were conflicting accounts of whether the manhunt was for two or three attackers.

Corinne Rey, the cartoonist who said she was forced to let the gunmen in, said the men spoke fluent French and claimed to be from al-Qaida. In an interview with the newspaper l'Humanite, she said the entire shooting lasted perhaps five minutes, and she hid under a desk.

The security analyst group Stratfor said the gunmen appeared to be well-trained, "from the way they handled their weapons, moved and shot. These attackers conducted a successful attack, using what they knew, instead of attempting to conduct an attack beyond their capability, failing as a result."

Both al-Qaida and the Islamic State group have repeatedly threatened to attack France. Just minutes before the attack, Charlie Hebdo had tweeted a satirical cartoon of the Islamic State's leader giving New Year's wishes.

Charlie Hebdo has been repeatedly threatened for its caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad and other sketches. Its offices were firebombed in 2011 after an issue featured a caricature of the prophet on its cover. Nearly a year later, the publication again published Muhammad caricatures, drawing denunciations from the Muslim world because Islam prohibits the publication of drawings of its founder.

Another cartoon, released in this week's issue and entitled "Still No Attacks in France," had a caricature of a jihadi fighter saying "Just wait — we have until the end of January to present our New Year's wishes." Charb was the artist.

"This is the darkest day of the history of the French press," said Christophe DeLoire of Reporters Without Borders.

In the winter 2014 edition of the al-Qaida magazine Inspire, a so-called chief describing where to use a new bomb said: "Of course the first priority and the main focus should be on America, then the United Kingdom, then France and so on."

In 2013, the magazine specifically threatened Charb and included an article titled "France the Imbecile Invader."

An al-Qaida tweeter who communicated Wednesday with AP said the group is not claiming responsibility, but called the attack "inspiring."

President Barack Obama offered U.S. help in pursuing the gunmen, saying they had attacked freedom of expression. He offered prayers and support for France, which he called "America's oldest ally."

British Prime Minister David Cameron said his country stood united with France, "We stand squarely for free speech and democracy. These people will never be able to take us off those values," Cameron said in the House of Commons.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also condemned the attack as a "cynical crime," and pledged cooperation in fighting terrorism.

Salman Rushdie, who spent years in hiding after his novel, "The Satanic Verses," drew a death edict from Iran's religious authorities, said all must stand with Charlie Hebdo "to defend the art of satire, which has always been a force for liberty and against tyranny, dishonesty and stupidity."

Mohammed Moussaoui, president of the Union of French mosques, condemned the "hateful act," and urged Muslims and Christians "to intensify their actions to give more strength to this dialogue, to make a united front against extremism."

On social media, supporters of militant Islamic groups praised the move. One self-described Tunisian loyalist of al-Qaida and the Islamic State group tweeted that the attack was well-deserved revenge against France.

The hashtag #JeSuisCharlie was trending as people expressed support for the weekly and for journalistic freedom. The weekly's website collapsed earlier Wednesday but was later restored.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/...id=ansnewsap11

How Charlie Hebdo Became A Top Terrorist Target
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Business Insider

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/...id=ansnewsap11

In February 2006 French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo published a series of 12 cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad which had been featured in the Nordic daily Jyllands-Posten the previous year. The Danish publication triggered anti-Danish protests across the Muslim world. It was the start of the story that would ultimately lead to the magazine becoming a prime terrorist target.

Twelve people were shot dead at the Charlie Hebdo office today.


Depictions of the prophet are strictly taboo in Islam. The French Council of Muslim Faith (CFCM) and the Grand Mosques of Paris and Lyon had unsuccessfully attempted to sue Charlie Hebdo to prevent publication of the images on the grounds that they were offensive to France's Muslim community.

Their failure, however, led to much more serious repercussions.


As the debate over the publication of the images intensified in France, a group of 12 prominent writers including Salman Rushdie and Bernard-Henri Levy published an article in Charlie Hebdo speaking out against Islamic "totalitarianism". They wrote:

"Like all totalitarian ideologies, Islamism is nurtured by fear and frustration...Islamism is a reactionary ideology that kills equality, freedom and secularism wherever it is present."

By publicly denouncing Islamism, the magazine became a target of threats forcing some staff to be placed under police protection. But the attempt at intimidation failed. In fact, it had the opposite effect, emboldening the magazine's staff.

In 2011, the magazine named the Prophet Muhammad as its "editor-in-chief." The cover once again carried a cartoon depicting him making a glib remark.

This time, however, the response was not just threats. A day after its publication the offices of the magazine were firebombed and its website hacked. Fortunately, no-one was injured.

Stephane Charbonnier, the magazine's editor-in-chief, responded as robustly as ever.

He said: "If we can poke fun at everything in France, if we can talk about anything in France apart from Islam or the consequences of Islamism, that is annoying."

In response he set out to publish the most controversial editions yet. They first produced an issue with the cover showing a man dressed in traditional Muslim garb passionately kissing a Charlie Hebdo cartoonist.


 © Provided by Business Insider

This was then followed up by a cover showing a Muslim man in a wheelchair pushed by an Orthodox Jew under the title "Untouchables 2", an imaginary sequel to a recently released French film. The pair are saying (rough translation) "You must not mock us!".

The publication was condemned by the French foreign minister Laurent Fabius as a "provocation". The French government was so concerned about the possibility of a backlash in Muslim countries, following the response to the 2006 cartoons, that it decided to temporarily closed 20 embassies as a precaution.

Yet Charlie Hebdo was not done yet. In 2013 the magazine went further still, publishing what it called a "halal" comic book on the life of Islamic prophet Mohammad. The book was created with the help of a Islamic Franco-Tunisian sociologist and Charbonnier claimed, somewhat implausibly given his experiences, that there was no reason why anyone would take offence.


 © Provided by Business Insider

Even those who have defended the magazine's right to publish have admitted the articles have been crass. But Charbonnier told Al Jazeera in a 2012 interview, that his argument has always been that free speech must be upheld and cannot be bounded by what will and will not cause offence.

Today, the Charlie Hebdo story took a gruesome turn as two gunmen burst into its offices and shot dead at least 12 people. They shouted "we have avenged the prophet!" according to Sky News.

Shocking Video Shows Muslim Terrorists Gunning Down French Policeman After Paris Attack

By Brian Hayes on January 7, 2015

The “Religion of Peace” struck again today against the West, this time in the heart of France, which has more Muslims per capita than any other E.U. nation.




Black-clad gunmen stormed the Paris offices of a satirical newspaper known for lampooning Islamic radicals early Wednesday, killing 12 and injuring as many as 15 before escaping, French officials said..

As many as three Kalashnikov-toting shooters were being sought after the attack at Charlie Hebdo, the newspaper known for challenging Muslim terrorists with a 2011 caricature of Prophet Mohammed on its cover and which recently tweeted a cartoon of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Two policemen and several journalists were among the dead.

“We’ve avenged the honor of the prophet!” the killers shouted, according to witnesses who spoke to Sky News.

Stunning video shows the gunmen brazenly strolling down a Paris sidestreet with their AK-47s shouting “Allahu Akbar”, opening fire on a policeman, then as he lies on the ground, finishing him off with a head shot.

WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES


The gunmen fled in a stolen car, and may have quickly ditched it and disappeared into the French capital’s subway system, according to reports. A pedestrian has been injured by the terrorist’s vehicle, and there has been a second shootout, according to Le Figaro.

French President Francois Hollande branded the attack an act of terrorism and claimed that several other potential terror attacks had been thwarted “in recent weeks.” Hollande added that the newspaper had been threatened in the past and was already under police protection and surveillance.

Barack Obama however, did not use the “T-word” to describe the attack. His spokesmouth Josh Earnest this morning called the premeditated Islamic mass-murder an “act of violence,” not terrorism. This is the same administration that called the jihadist slaughter at Ft. Hood by Al-Queda trained Nidal Nassan “workplace violence.”

Will France — and Europe — finally “get it” with regard to their suicidal levels of Islamic immigration?

Time will tell. In Germany this month, massive crowds, approaching 20,000 have marched against Islam, Sharia Law and immigration. However, instead of heeding the public’s voices, German President Angela Merkel has condemned them, and told Germans not to participate in the marches.

UPDATE: French authorities are “still engaged in a manhunt for 3 individuals,” who remain at large.

UPDATE: Liberal apologists are claiming that the Muslim terrorists did NOT say “Allahu Akbar” during today’s attack. If someone tells you that, show them this irrefutable clip…



http://toprightnews.com/?p=7904

French police identify 3 suspects in attack that killed 12
Posted: Jan 07, 2015 3:52 PM CST


By JAMEY KEATEN and LORI HINNANT

Associated Press

PARIS (AP) - French police officials say they have identified three men as suspects in a deadly attack against newspaper offices that killed 12 people and shook the nation.

Two officials named the suspects as Frenchmen Said Kouachi and Cherif Kouachi, in their early 30s, as well as 18-year-old Hamyd Mourad, whose nationality wasn't immediately clear.

One of the officials said they were linked to a Yemeni terrorist network.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to publicly discuss the sensitive and ongoing investigation.

Cherif Kouachi was convicted in 2008 of terrorism charges for helping funnel fighters to Iraq's insurgency and sentenced to 18 months in prison.

No arrests have been confirmed in the hunt for the attackers. It was the deadliest attack in France in half a century.

http://www.wafb.com/story/27785609/f...that-killed-12

Article by this title: http://bit.ly/1AsQ7Pw
Excerpt:
"You’ll soon hear, if you haven’t already, that this latest bout of Islamic violence should be “put in context.” That these murderers are “in the minority.” I’m even being informed that the people who provoke Muslims are partly to blame themselves. But I’ll know we’ve finally progressed as a people, and grown some semblance of a collective spine, when we stop putting Jihad into context and when we stop making excuses for it. These are bloodthirsty barbarians. They don’t have a point. They don’t need to be understood. They don’t deserve any considerations at all.

I don’t know where we go once we’ve reached that point. I don’t have an easy solution to the kind of animalistic behavior that has infected Islam since its inception. But I do know that it starts with honesty. It starts with having the fortitude to say, without qualifier, without equivalency, that Islam is the most violent religion in the history of the world. You can ask why or how, but the “what” really isn’t up for debate.

I didn’t say that all Muslims are violent, or even that most Muslims are violent. I didn’t even say that Islam is the most destructive religion in the world — that title belongs to progressivism, which murders babies, destroys families, and damns souls.

Yet it is the most violent, and we all know it."

Read the whole article written by Matt Walsh http://www.theblaze.com/…/islam-is-t...religi…/

I’m even being informed that the people who provoke Muslims are partly to blame themselves...

same mentality :

#‎CharlieHebdo‬ is a satire publication that strives to be offensive and usually is. Aside from mocking Islam, it has also satirized Judaism and Christianity, as well as politics. It frequently utilizes crudely drawn and obscene cartoons. Though Christians and Jews have, at times, abhorred the images used, we recognize the value of freedom of speech and expression. Islamists, on the other hand, see it as their duty to put infidels and those who "slander the prophet" to death. For my secularist friends, I hope that this profound difference in viewpoints is becoming increasingly clear. I may not like many things published in Charlie Hebdo, but today, I can say along with everyone who values freedom of expression, ‪#‎JeSuisCharlie‬.

Greta Van Susteren
My Personal Note to French Citizens:
-----

Dear French Citizens,

This is a personal note from me but I suspect it represents the sentiments of many Americans.

I am sorry that our President didn’t go to France today and stand with your President and other world leaders against terrorism. It was an important statement to send to France, to the world and to terrorists and frankly he blew it. It was a big missed opportunity for my President and thus for all Americans. He should have gone. It was a mistake that he did not. Sometimes mistakes like that are made.

I stand with you and I think all Americans do stand with you. I had wanted the President to go to Paris today to represent how I feel and how most Americans feel after Paris was terrorized but that did not happen. President Obama didn’t just disappoint you — he disappointed many Americans today. Maybe there is a reason for his absence that I just don’t know but right now the White House has released no explanation.

Despite today’s absence, I know our President wants to stop world terrorism but his bad manners today – or maybe just dropping the ball – is not something we should harbor but rather drop and move on. It may be easier for you to drop than many Americans. As already noted, I am not happy with him tonight, but I will get over it. But, in the mean time, I do want the citizens of France to know we Americans stand with you and that we need each other to fight terrorism.

I also want everyone in France to know – and this is very important 0 that we have not forgotten that it was the French President who was the first national leader to show up at the White House after 9/11. You don’t forget things like that. (Nor have we forgotten LaFayette who fought for us in the Revolutionary War but that’s a bit farther back!)

I love your nation and have spent a lot of time there over the years – from college onward. Your citizens have been friendly to Americans and to me (although many have looked askance at me when I speak my very fractured French. You could be a tad bit nicer about my French.) Our nations have had their difference over the years but always I know fundamentally we are friends even when we might have some disagreements. We have the same goals and the same dreams.

So….I apologize for my President’s absence. Tonight I am mad at him but I will get over it and I hope you do, too. We have a bigger fight to fight than bad manners. We need to fight terrorism.

Greta Van Susteren

am i surprised that obama wasn't there? no because he didn't even go to his favorite auntie's funeral so why would he inconvenience his own agenda for people he did not know? i heard words such as he didn't go because this was not about him and he didn't want ppl dividing their attention away from the tragedy................

13 Excuses Why Obama Missed the Rally Against Terrorism in Paris

By Jason DeWitt on January 12, 2015

On Sunday, President Obama skipped out on the historic, record-large demonstration in Paris to honor the victims of the Charlie Hebdo massacre, and to defend freedom against Islamic extremism.

The march — which a staggering 4 million attended, including 50 world leaders, was even larger than the one the French held to celebrate the liberation of Paris from the Nazis during WWII.

Obama just wasn’t that into it, apparently.

However, the historic meet saw even historic enemies like Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu…



…and King Abdullah of Jordan joining arms in unison.

But our Commander-in-Chief just couldn’t be bothered to make it.

This generated worldwide shock — which then moved thousands to come up with clever “excuses” for why Obama did not make it to Paris., using the Twitter hashtag: #ReasonsObamaMissedFranceRally.

Here are some of the best (h/t Twitchy, IJR):

1. Perhaps Obama was hitting the weight room



2. He just couldn’t confirm the date with other leaders…



3. He couldn’t find a way to blame George Bush…

Evan Young @EvanYoung986

#ReasonsObamaMissedFranceRally when he found out there was no way to attack conservatives or blame bush, he wasn't interested.

6:28 PM - 11 Jan 2015

4. He didn’t “hear about it on the news“…



5. Obama doesn’t dig French canines…

Guy Fromage @KentAtwater

#ReasonsObamaMissedFranceRally Barry has never developed a taste for poodle.

5:30 PM - 11 Jan 2015

OUCH!

6. Michelle found out that the Danish PM would attend…



7. He wouldn’t be the sole focus of all the photo-ops…

Diane Kelly @DianeCva

#ReasonsObamaMissedFranceRally They told him he couldn't wave at the photographers and take selfies.

6:54 PM - 11 Jan 2015

8. VP Joe Biden had “issues” and couldn’t fill in…

greg williams @gwilliams1967

#ReasonsObamaMissedFranceRally Crisis at the White House: Joe Biden locked himself in his closet ... again

1:52 PM - 11 Jan 2015

9. He couldn’t raise any funds from the event…

JeSuisBunnyFooFoo @PolitiBunny

#ReasonsObamaMissedFranceRally Those fundraisers aren't going to attend themselves.


5:03 PM - 11 Jan 2015

10. People might be reminded how his strategy to defeat Muslim terror hasn’t exactly worked out…

Justen Charters @JustenCharters

Because ISIS isn't a 'JV' team & Al-Qaeda isn't on the run. He didn't want to embarrass himself further. #ReasonsObamaMissedFranceRally

4:55 PM - 11 Jan 2015

11. There were far too many world leaders to bow to…
standing tall side-by-side with world leaders really isn't Obama's thing.



12. He’s busy scouring YouTube for a video to blame the Paris attacks on…

The Right Hound @jasphil

Still searching YouTube for an offensive video to blame this all on. #ReasonsObamaMissedFranceRally

7:15 PM - 11 Jan 2015

13. It was Obama’s day off!



We have a WINNER! Take one look at Obama’s oh-so busy schedule from Sunday…

Bill Kristol ✔ @BillKristol

I figured President Obama must have been awfully busy not to go to Paris today. So I checked out his schedule at http://www.whitehouse.gov/schedule/president ….

http://t.co/XHSrUv1EXA
4:25 PM - 11 Jan 2015

“No public schedule”

DOH!



[h/t Twitchy, IJ Review]


http://toprightnews.com/?p=7957

John Kerry To Travel To Paris To Show Solidarity With The French People
By MATTHEW LEE January 12, 2015

AHMEDABAD, India (AP) — Secretary of State John Kerry said Monday he will travel to Paris this week to show solidarity with the French people, following sharp criticism of the Obama administration for not sending a senior official to Sunday's rally for unity in Paris that was attended by some 40 world leaders and more than a million people.

Kerry said at a news conference that U.S. officials, including himself and President Barack Obama, had been "deeply engaged" with French authorities almost immediately after the first attack occurred and had offered intelligence assistance.

As to criticism about the lack of a senior official at Sunday's March, Kerry said, "I really think that this is sort of quibbling a little bit," noting that the U.S. ambassador to France was there, as were "many people from the (U.S.) embassy."
"As everybody knows, I have been here in India for a prior planned event," he added. "I would have personally very much wanted to have been there but couldn't do so because of the commitment that I had here and it is important to keep these kinds of commitments."

Kerry said he is going to France to reaffirm U.S. solidarity with America's oldest ally. He said as soon as he heard about the march, he asked his team what the earliest time was that he could go.

"That is why I am going there on the way home and to make it crystal clear how passionately we feel about the events that have taken place there," he said. "I don't think he people of France have any doubt about America's understanding about what happened, about our personal sense of loss and our deep commitment to the people of France in this moment of trial."

While in Paris, Kerry will be meeting with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and pay tribute to the victims of last week's attacks, which killed 17 people. Kerry is a fluent French speaker, has a well-known affinity for France and has visited Paris more than a dozen times since becoming secretary of state.

Kerry will arrive in Paris on Thursday after stops in Sofia, Bulgaria and Geneva, Switzerland. In Geneva, on Wednesday Kerry will he meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif to discuss the status of nuclear negotiations that are to resume the next day.

Kerry will be the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit France since the terrorist attacks on a French newspaper and a kosher supermarket. Authorities say one of those involved in the attacks pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group in a video. He and two other suspected extremists were killed during police raids.

"I want to emphasize that the relationship with France is not about one day or one particular moment," Kerry said. "It is an ongoing longtime relationship that is deeply, deeply based in the shared values, and particularly the commitment that we share to freedom of expression."

"No single act of terror, no two people with a AK-47s, no hostage-taking at a grocery store is ever going to prevent those who are committed to the march for freedom to continue to march and to ultimately see all people enjoy their rights, to be able to enjoy the protections that come with that freedom," he said.

The U.S. ambassador to France, Jane Hartley, was the top American official at Sunday's unity march against barbarity.

Millions demonstrated across France, and rallies supporting the French were reported in major cities around the world.

Obama offered condolences last week at the French Embassy in Washington. "We stand united with our French brothers to ensure that justice is done and our way of life is defended," he said.

Kerry was in the Indian city of Ahmedabad on Sunday for a long-scheduled appearance at an international investment conference, and to prepare for President Barack Obama's trip to India later this month.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/0...n_6453942.html