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| Police search for two brothers in massive French manhunt amid fears of more attacks | Police search for two brothers in massive French manhunt amid fears of more attacks |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| PARIS — A massive manhunt for the perpetrators of France’s worst terrorist attack in generations shifted to the countryside north of Paris on Thursday as commandos and helicopter patrols poured into villages following reports that the two main suspects — both heavily armed — were spotted on the run. | PARIS — A massive manhunt for the perpetrators of France’s worst terrorist attack in generations shifted to the countryside north of Paris on Thursday as commandos and helicopter patrols poured into villages following reports that the two main suspects — both heavily armed — were spotted on the run. |
| The investigation also broadened on another front, with police conducting arrests amid fears that more attacks could be planned. | The investigation also broadened on another front, with police conducting arrests amid fears that more attacks could be planned. |
| A day after the massacre of a dozen people at the offices of a satirical newspaper, France’s capital was a mix of mourning, anger and hair-trigger tensions — raised even further after the slaying of a policewoman in a Paris suburb Thursday morning. | A day after the massacre of a dozen people at the offices of a satirical newspaper, France’s capital was a mix of mourning, anger and hair-trigger tensions — raised even further after the slaying of a policewoman in a Paris suburb Thursday morning. |
| Authorities said there was no immediate information to link the shooting with Wednesday’s attack at the newspaper Charlie Hebdo, whose well-known editor was among those slain in apparent retribution for the weekly’s provocative cartoons and content on Islam. | Authorities said there was no immediate information to link the shooting with Wednesday’s attack at the newspaper Charlie Hebdo, whose well-known editor was among those slain in apparent retribution for the weekly’s provocative cartoons and content on Islam. |
| But the latest killing underscored one of the main concerns among France’s shaken leaders: that the violence may not be over. | But the latest killing underscored one of the main concerns among France’s shaken leaders: that the violence may not be over. |
| France’s interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, said at least seven people have been arrested as the probes expanded. Cazeneuve gave no details on the detainees or any possible connection to the main suspects in Wednesday’s raid: the brothers Said and Chérif Kouachi, 34 and 32, the Paris-born sons of Algerian immigrants. | France’s interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, said at least seven people have been arrested as the probes expanded. Cazeneuve gave no details on the detainees or any possible connection to the main suspects in Wednesday’s raid: the brothers Said and Chérif Kouachi, 34 and 32, the Paris-born sons of Algerian immigrants. |
| Chérif Kouachi, a former pizza deliveryman, has a history of funneling jihadist fighters to Iraq and a terrorism conviction from 2008, police said. His older brother had no major criminal record. He reportedly had lived in Reims, a city 90 miles northeast of Paris in France’s Champagne-Ardenne region. | Chérif Kouachi, a former pizza deliveryman, has a history of funneling jihadist fighters to Iraq and a terrorism conviction from 2008, police said. His older brother had no major criminal record. He reportedly had lived in Reims, a city 90 miles northeast of Paris in France’s Champagne-Ardenne region. |
| As the hunt for the brothers intensified Thursday, investigators also sought to piece together their previous travels and any links to terrorist networks, notably to al-Qaeda’s branch in Yemen. | As the hunt for the brothers intensified Thursday, investigators also sought to piece together their previous travels and any links to terrorist networks, notably to al-Qaeda’s branch in Yemen. |
| In Washington, U.S. officials said there were indications that one of the brothers, Said Kouachi, traveled to Yemen in 2011 in an apparent effort to link up with the al-Qaeda affiliate there. French intelligence officials informed U.S. counterparts that the older brother made the trip to receive weapons training from the militant group. | |
| Both brothers were on the U.S. no-fly list, officials said. The list contains the names of U.S. citizens and residents, as well as foreigners, who are not permitted to fly into or out of the United States because of specific security concerns. There are about 47,000 names on the list; the vast majority of those banned are foreigners. | Both brothers were on the U.S. no-fly list, officials said. The list contains the names of U.S. citizens and residents, as well as foreigners, who are not permitted to fly into or out of the United States because of specific security concerns. There are about 47,000 names on the list; the vast majority of those banned are foreigners. |
| A witness to Wednesday’s attack said the assailants shouted as they fled, “Tell the media that it’s al-Qaeda in Yemen,” the Associated Press reported. A French police official said the suspects had links to terrorists in Yemen, AP said. | A witness to Wednesday’s attack said the assailants shouted as they fled, “Tell the media that it’s al-Qaeda in Yemen,” the Associated Press reported. A French police official said the suspects had links to terrorists in Yemen, AP said. |
| Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), as the terrorist group’s Yemen-based affiliate is known, has previously targeted the United States, notably in 2009 when an attempt to bomb an airliner approaching Detroit on Christmas Day was foiled because explosives hidden in an operative’s underwear failed to detonate. | Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), as the terrorist group’s Yemen-based affiliate is known, has previously targeted the United States, notably in 2009 when an attempt to bomb an airliner approaching Detroit on Christmas Day was foiled because explosives hidden in an operative’s underwear failed to detonate. |
| President Obama consulted with his national security team to receive an update on the French investigation, White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters Thursday aboard Air Force One. He said that according to the Department of Homeland Security, there is “no indication of a specific threat” against the United States related to Wednesday’s attack in Paris. | President Obama consulted with his national security team to receive an update on the French investigation, White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters Thursday aboard Air Force One. He said that according to the Department of Homeland Security, there is “no indication of a specific threat” against the United States related to Wednesday’s attack in Paris. |
| Nevertheless, Earnest said, “we want to make sure we’re doing every single thing that we can at U.S. facilities — military and diplomatic, around the globe — to protect Americans.” | Nevertheless, Earnest said, “we want to make sure we’re doing every single thing that we can at U.S. facilities — military and diplomatic, around the globe — to protect Americans.” |
| Upon his return to Washington from a trip to Phoenix, Obama headed straight to the French Embassy in Washington to sign a condolence book for the victims of the Paris attack. After writing a condolence message, Obama stood in silence for about a minute, then shook hands with French Ambassador Gérard Araud. Outside the embassy gates is a sign reading “Nous sommes Charlie” (We are Charlie), in solidarity with the massacre victims. | |
| French police said the Kouachi brothers were “armed and dangerous.” | French police said the Kouachi brothers were “armed and dangerous.” |
| “We are confronting an exceptional risk that can lead at any moment to other instances of violence,” Cazeneuve said on Europe 1 radio. | “We are confronting an exceptional risk that can lead at any moment to other instances of violence,” Cazeneuve said on Europe 1 radio. |
| French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said “a main concern” was whether the brothers — or possibly others — could carry out another attack. | French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said “a main concern” was whether the brothers — or possibly others — could carry out another attack. |
| “There is no such thing as zero risk,” Valls told RTL radio. | “There is no such thing as zero risk,” Valls told RTL radio. |
| Paris prosecutors said they received an unexpected break in the case early: finding the national identity card of Said Kouachi in an abandoned getaway car, media reports said. | Paris prosecutors said they received an unexpected break in the case early: finding the national identity card of Said Kouachi in an abandoned getaway car, media reports said. |
| Police, meanwhile, followed a tip that the brothers were on the move outside Paris. | Police, meanwhile, followed a tip that the brothers were on the move outside Paris. |
| French media reported that two men, believed by witnesses to be the suspects, were spotted at a gas station near Villers-Cotteret in the northern French Aisne region, about 45 miles northeast of Paris. | French media reported that two men, believed by witnesses to be the suspects, were spotted at a gas station near Villers-Cotteret in the northern French Aisne region, about 45 miles northeast of Paris. |
| The manager of a gas station “recognized the two men suspected of having participated in the attack against Charlie Hebdo,” Agence France-Presse reported. | The manager of a gas station “recognized the two men suspected of having participated in the attack against Charlie Hebdo,” Agence France-Presse reported. |
| Other reports said the men — apparently armed with Kalashnikov rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers — fired shots and robbed a service station of food and gas. | Other reports said the men — apparently armed with Kalashnikov rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers — fired shots and robbed a service station of food and gas. |
| And in another sign of the tools at play in modern dragnets: Twitter and other social media churned out tips and possible sightings of the Renault believed driven by suspects. | And in another sign of the tools at play in modern dragnets: Twitter and other social media churned out tips and possible sightings of the Renault believed driven by suspects. |
| Counterterrorism squads, backed by helicopter patrols, fanned out around the area, a patchwork of farms, villages and woodlands. The search radius gradually tightened around Longpont, a medieval hamlet of about 300 people, and nearby areas. | Counterterrorism squads, backed by helicopter patrols, fanned out around the area, a patchwork of farms, villages and woodlands. The search radius gradually tightened around Longpont, a medieval hamlet of about 300 people, and nearby areas. |
| Surveillance teams monitored main highways, including routes back to Paris. | Surveillance teams monitored main highways, including routes back to Paris. |
| A third suspect, Hamyd Mourad, 18, turned himself in at a police station in Charleville-Mézières, about 145 miles northeast of Paris. News reports said Mourad claimed to have a solid alibi — that we was in school at the time of the attack — but it was unclear whether authorities still believed he had a link to the bloodshed. | A third suspect, Hamyd Mourad, 18, turned himself in at a police station in Charleville-Mézières, about 145 miles northeast of Paris. News reports said Mourad claimed to have a solid alibi — that we was in school at the time of the attack — but it was unclear whether authorities still believed he had a link to the bloodshed. |
| Mourad’s classmates launched a social media account to defend his claim of innocence. | Mourad’s classmates launched a social media account to defend his claim of innocence. |
| In Paris, the bells at the Notre Dame Cathedral tolled at noon to mark a minute of silence during a national day of mourning called for the worst terrorist attack in modern French history. | In Paris, the bells at the Notre Dame Cathedral tolled at noon to mark a minute of silence during a national day of mourning called for the worst terrorist attack in modern French history. |
| Flags were at half-staff, and the lights of the Eiffel Tower went dark at 8 p.m. Paris time . | Flags were at half-staff, and the lights of the Eiffel Tower went dark at 8 p.m. Paris time . |
| In a different show of resolve, Charlie Hebdo announced Thursday that it would publish next week as scheduled. | In a different show of resolve, Charlie Hebdo announced Thursday that it would publish next week as scheduled. |
| [What is Charlie Hebdo?] | [What is Charlie Hebdo?] |
| “France has been struck directly in the heart of its capital, in a place where the spirit of liberty — and thus of resistance — breathed freely,” French President Francois Hollande said Thursday. | “France has been struck directly in the heart of its capital, in a place where the spirit of liberty — and thus of resistance — breathed freely,” French President Francois Hollande said Thursday. |
| Wednesday’s attack unfolded with chilling precision as hooded gunmen speaking fluent French burst into the newspaper’s weekly staff meeting and sprayed the room with gunfire, leaving behind what one witness described as “absolute carnage.” | Wednesday’s attack unfolded with chilling precision as hooded gunmen speaking fluent French burst into the newspaper’s weekly staff meeting and sprayed the room with gunfire, leaving behind what one witness described as “absolute carnage.” |
| The death toll included 10 members of the staff, led by 47-year-old editor Stéphane Charbonnier, and two police officers. | The death toll included 10 members of the staff, led by 47-year-old editor Stéphane Charbonnier, and two police officers. |
| After shooting dead their final victim, the killers calmly fled the scene, sparking a massive dragnet and raising France’s security alert to its highest level. | After shooting dead their final victim, the killers calmly fled the scene, sparking a massive dragnet and raising France’s security alert to its highest level. |
| The mass killing added Paris to a list of European capitals, including London and Madrid, that have experienced major terrorist attacks since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States. | The mass killing added Paris to a list of European capitals, including London and Madrid, that have experienced major terrorist attacks since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States. |
| The assault came at a time of heightened anxiety across Europe about the threat of radical Islamist groups as thousands of young men and women from across the continent have poured into Syria to join the fight there. Many have come home radicalized by the experience. | The assault came at a time of heightened anxiety across Europe about the threat of radical Islamist groups as thousands of young men and women from across the continent have poured into Syria to join the fight there. Many have come home radicalized by the experience. |
| It also touched one of the most sensitive fault lines in France: Those cherishing the country’s secular traditions and freedoms, and some members of Europe’s largest Muslim population who resist or resent Western-style openness. France’s Muslim population has swelled over the years with immigrants from former French colonies in North Africa and their descendants. | It also touched one of the most sensitive fault lines in France: Those cherishing the country’s secular traditions and freedoms, and some members of Europe’s largest Muslim population who resist or resent Western-style openness. France’s Muslim population has swelled over the years with immigrants from former French colonies in North Africa and their descendants. |
| The younger Kouachi brother, Chérif, appeared to represent the trajectory of some French Muslims who perceived a life relegated to the margins. He increasingly fell under the influence of radical prayer groups and began watching videos of Islamist fighters in Iraq and elsewhere, his former lawyer said. | The younger Kouachi brother, Chérif, appeared to represent the trajectory of some French Muslims who perceived a life relegated to the margins. He increasingly fell under the influence of radical prayer groups and began watching videos of Islamist fighters in Iraq and elsewhere, his former lawyer said. |
| “He was part of a group of young people who were a little lost, confused, not really fanatics in the proper sense of the word,” Vincent Ollivier, his attorney in his previous terrorism case, told the newspaper Liberation. “He hadn’t really given any great thought to Islam and didn’t seem all that determined.” | “He was part of a group of young people who were a little lost, confused, not really fanatics in the proper sense of the word,” Vincent Ollivier, his attorney in his previous terrorism case, told the newspaper Liberation. “He hadn’t really given any great thought to Islam and didn’t seem all that determined.” |
| In recent years, France has thrust itself to center stage in the war against Islamist extremism. | In recent years, France has thrust itself to center stage in the war against Islamist extremism. |
| In 2013, French forces joined those loyal to Mali’s government to push back an onslaught by Islamist militants. France was also the first nation to join the U.S.-led effort against the Islamic State insurgency in Syria and Iraq, conducting bombing raids. | In 2013, French forces joined those loyal to Mali’s government to push back an onslaught by Islamist militants. France was also the first nation to join the U.S.-led effort against the Islamic State insurgency in Syria and Iraq, conducting bombing raids. |
| In just the past several weeks, France has been particularly on edge. Before Christmas, a man yelling “God is great” in Arabic was shot after stabbing three police officers in a suburb of Tours in central France. | In just the past several weeks, France has been particularly on edge. Before Christmas, a man yelling “God is great” in Arabic was shot after stabbing three police officers in a suburb of Tours in central France. |
| Police are now watching for a possible backlash to the Charlie Hebdo attack. | Police are now watching for a possible backlash to the Charlie Hebdo attack. |
| Two explosions hit areas near mosques in France early Thursday — in Le Mans and near Lyon — but caused no injuries. | Two explosions hit areas near mosques in France early Thursday — in Le Mans and near Lyon — but caused no injuries. |
| “What we must not do now is put Muslims and jihadis in the same bag,” Liliane Graine, a 58-year-old councilor in the southern Paris suburb of Montrouge, told the Associated Press. | “What we must not do now is put Muslims and jihadis in the same bag,” Liliane Graine, a 58-year-old councilor in the southern Paris suburb of Montrouge, told the Associated Press. |
| [See: How cartoonists reacted to the Charlie Hebdo massacre.] | [See: How cartoonists reacted to the Charlie Hebdo massacre.] |
| In Britain, authorities increased security at ports and border points. Other nations bordering France also stepped up monitoring of arriving travelers. | In Britain, authorities increased security at ports and border points. Other nations bordering France also stepped up monitoring of arriving travelers. |
| On Sunday, Attorney General Eric Holder plans to travel to Paris take part in an international forum on ways to combat violent extremism. | On Sunday, Attorney General Eric Holder plans to travel to Paris take part in an international forum on ways to combat violent extremism. |
| Murphy reported from Washington. Daniela Deane in London, Virgile Demoustier in Paris, Karla Adam in London, Souad Mekhennet in Frankfurt, Germany, and Adam Goldman, Greg Miller, Brian Murphy, William Branigin, Katie Zezima and Carol Morello in Washington contributed to this report. | Murphy reported from Washington. Daniela Deane in London, Virgile Demoustier in Paris, Karla Adam in London, Souad Mekhennet in Frankfurt, Germany, and Adam Goldman, Greg Miller, Brian Murphy, William Branigin, Katie Zezima and Carol Morello in Washington contributed to this report. |