In France, Islam Just Killed Satire: Three Moslem Gunmen Invade Offices of Magazine Charlie Hebdo, Slaughtering 12, Including 2 Policemen, Shouting That Mohammed is “Avenged”; New York Times Has No Idea Who Committed Terrorist Act, or Why; French Police Neutered

Re-posted by Nicholas Stix

Thanks to Brad Morris at Round Up and Deport Every Illegal Alien in the USA.

It sounds like the French police have effectively been pacified. A policeman heads to an office, in response to report of a shooting, but does not arrive with his gun drawn, and permits himself to be shot down like a sitting duck? Other nearby cops do not respond at all? In spite of the Moslem terrorists spending several minutes murdering Frenchmen, they are able to leave at leisure, drive away, and ditch their vehicle, without any cops catching up to or blockading them?
 
Terror Attack on Charlie Hebdo Newspaper in Paris Kills 12
By Dan Bilefsky and Maïa de la Baume
January 7, 2015
New York Times

What We Know

• Twelve people were killed

• Three gunmen were said to be involved

• They escaped by car and remained at large

• French officials raised the national terror alert to its highest level

What We Don’t Know

• The identities of the individuals or groups responsible for the attack

• All of the victims’ identities, said to include police officers, editors and cartoonists

• The reason Charlie Hebdo was targeted, though its provocative fare has angered groups in the past

PARIS — Masked gunmen burst into the Paris offices of a French satirical newspaper on Wednesday and killed 12 people, including top journalists and two police officers, before fleeing in a car. The gunmen were still at large at dusk, as an extensive police dragnet spread across a traumatized city.

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Among the dead were four prominent cartoonists who have repeatedly lampooned Islamic terrorists and the Prophet Muhammad, leading to speculation that the attack on the newspaper, Charlie Hebdo, was the work of Islamic militants acting alone or in concert with extremist groups.

Latest Updates on the Paris Attack

• 11:16 AM ET
  Statement From Salman Rushdie on Attack
• 10:41 AM ET
  Mixed Reaction From Social Media Users in Arab World
• 10:37 AM ET
  Security at Paris Airport Is Increased

More Updates »

A police guard assigned to protect the newspaper was among the first victims. A second police officer, who responded to reports of the shooting, was killed on the sidewalk outside the office by the fleeing suspects, the Paris police said. The shooting of the second police officer was captured in a widely-seen video.

President François Hollande immediately declared that the attack was an act of terrorism and an assault on freedom of the press. He ratcheted up France’s nationwide terror alert to its highest level, and met with his cabinet in an emergency session. He said France was already on high alert after several planned terrorist attacks were thwarted in recent weeks.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but several websites and Twitter accounts associated with extremist groups applauded the violence, calling it revenge for the newspaper’s satirical treatment of Islam and its prophet.

Additional security was put in place at houses of worship, news media offices and transportation centers in Paris, and many schools were locked down as the search for the gunmen continued.

Video

Play Video|1:08

Aftermath of Paris Terror Attack

Aftermath of Paris Terror Attack

At least 12 people were killed in a shooting at the Paris offices of the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday.

Video by Quynhanh Do on
Publish Date January 7, 2015.
Photo by Martin Bureau/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images.

The radio station France Info quoted a witness as saying that he saw the attack from a nearby building in the heart of the French capital, not far from the Place des Vosges.

“About half an hour ago, two black-hooded men entered the building with Kalashnikovs,” the witness, Benoît Bringer, told the station. “A few minutes later, we heard lots of shots.” He added that the men were then seen fleeing the building.

Xavier Castaing, a police spokesman, said that three armed, masked men forced their way into the offices, firing indiscriminately at people in the lobby and wounding many. He said that they were carrying AK-47 rifles, and that the attack lasted several minutes before the assailants fled by car.

News reports said the gunmen shot at the police outside the building as they escaped. Several journalists sought safety on the roof of the building during the attack.

Photo