12 confirmed dead in terrorist attack on newspaper house

monjola sotubo

January 7, 2015 2:12 PM

Four other people were left injured in the attack on Charlie Hebdo weekly during which masked gunmen, armed with Kalashnikov rifles and rocket launchers opened fire on staff of the publication.

12 people have been confirmed dead in Paris after two gunmen attacked the office of a satirical newspaper today, January 7.

Four other people were left injured in the attack on Charlie Hebdo weekly during which masked gunmen, armed with Kalashnikov rifles and rocket launchers opened fire on staff of the publication.

The newspaper has been frequently criticized by Muslims and has been described as “notoriously anti-Islamic” for its unfavourable portrayals of Prophet Mohammed.

The attackers were said to have escaped in a stolen vehicle after a gun battle with police officers. They were reportedly heard saying "the Prophet has been avenged" while fleeing.

The spokeswoman for the Paris Prosecutor’s office, Agnes Thibault-Lecuivre confirmed that 12 people had lost their lives in the attack.

In response to the incident, French President Francois Hollande has said that the attack is "a terrorist attack, without a doubt," and that other attacks had been prevented in France "in recent weeks."

Charlie Hebdo had received threats for publishing caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed, among other controversial sketches and its offices were firebombed in 2011.

The most recent tweet on the magazine's official Twitter account features a cartoon of the leader of the Islamic State (ISIS), Abu Baghdadi.

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