Twelve people were killed when armed gunmen carried out a 'massacre' at the offices of a notoriously anti-Islamic magazine in Paris - including a police officer who was executed as he begged for mercy on the pavement.
Two masked men brandishing Kalashnikovs burst into the Charlie Hebdo headquarters, opening fire on staff.
Police officers were involved in a gunfight with the men, who escaped in a hijacked car, speeding away towards east Paris and remain on the loose.
The attackers stalked the building asking for people by name before executing senior staff.
Three of France's most revered cartoonists - Stephane Charbonnier, who is also the editor, Georges Wolinski and Jean Cabut - were among those killed.
There were unconfirmed reports that a fourth cartoonist called Bernard Verlhac (aka Tignous) had died.
Horrific footage also emerged showing an injured police officer slumped on the pavement outside the building as the two gunmen approach.
In an apparent desperate plea for his life, the officer is seen slowly raising his hand towards one of the attackers, who responds by callously shooting him in the head at point-blank range.
By midday, there were reports of up to 12 people dead and 10 wounded, four critically, including journalists, administrative staff, and police officers who attended the scene.
Pierre de Cossette, a broadcast journalist with Europe1 News, said: 'Several men in black cagoules were heard to shout 'the Prophet has been avenged'.
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Brutal execution: A police officer pleads for mercy on the pavement in Paris before being shot in the head by masked gunmen during an attack on the headquarters of the French satirical publication Charlie Hebdo, a notoriously anti-Islamic publication
'Massacre': The gunmen are seen brandishing Kalashnikovs as they move in on the injured police officer from their vehicle outside the office
Emergency: Police officers and firefighters gather in front of the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris today after gunmen stormed the building
Critical: Firefighters carry an injured man on a stretcher in front of the offices of French satirical paper Charlie Hebdo after the shooting
The gunmen seen near the offices of the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo before fleeing in a car. They remain on the loose
As well as the AK47 assault rifles, there were also reports of a rocket-propelled grenade being used in the attack, which took place during the publication's weekly editorial meeting, meaning all the journalists would have been present.
When shots rang out, it is thought that three policemen on bicycles were the first to respond.
'There was a loud gunfire and at least one explosion,' said an eye witness. 'When police arrived there was a mass shoot-out. The men got away by car, stealing a car.'
LocationL Officers were involved in a gunfight with the men, who escaped in a hijacked car and sped away from the 15th arrondissement office, towards east Paris.
Luce Lapin and Laurent Leger, who have both worked at Charlie Hebdo, were using Twitter hours before the attack.
'The most recent tweet posted by Lapin praised a cartoonist called Cabu.
It read: 'Cabu, a great man! And honest, he doesn't eat fois gras.'
While Leger's made a political point about taxes.
It said: 'Macron [French ministry of economy] wants more billionaires in France, the same that use tricks for not paying ISF [solidarity tax on wealth].'
A source close to the investigation said two men 'armed with a Kalashnikov and a rocket-launcher' stormed the building in central Paris and 'fire was exchanged with security forces.'
There were reports that the gunmen were looking for people by name.
The latest tweet published by the magazine's official Twitter account featured a cartoon of Abu Baghdadi, the leader of Islamic State.
After the shooting, hundreds of comments were posted on the Charlie Hebdo Twitter page, with one user, David Rault, writing: 'A sad day for freedom of expression.'
Victim: Three of France's most revered cartoonists - Stephane Charbonnier, Georges Wolinski and Jean Cabut (above) - were among the Charlie Hebdo employees executed by masked gunmen in Paris
'We have to be stand strong with the international community': A visibly shocked French President François Hollande arrives at the scene, where he promised to bring those responsible to justice
The offices of the same magazine were burnt down in a petrol attack in 2015 after running a magazine cover of the Prophet Mohammed as a cartoon character.
At the time, the editor-in-chief of the magazine, Stephane Charbonnier, said Islam could not be excluded from freedom of the press.
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.'
Mr Charbonnier, also known as Charb, said he did not see the attack on the magazine as the work of French Muslims, but of what he called 'idiot extremists'.
The cover showed Mohammed saying: '100 lashes if you are not dying of laughter'.
This week's Charlie Hebdo also featured the author Houellebecq, whose new novel imagines Muslims tkaing over the French government in 2022.
Inside, there was an editorial, attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, and more cartoons - one showing the Prophet with a clown's red nose.
Depiction of the Prophet is strictly prohibited in Islam, but the magazine denied it was trying to be provocative.
A firebomb attack gutted the headquarters of Charlie Hebdo in November 2011 after it put an image of the Prophet Mohammed on its cover.
Via -.Dailymail.
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