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Charlie Hebdo: officials establish link between gunmen in both attacks — as it happened Charlie Hebdo: officials establish link between gunmen in both attacks — as it happened
(30 days later)
11.30pm GMT11.30pm GMT
23:3023:30
• Two separate police raids in Paris and Dammartin-en-Goële killed the Charlie Hebdo gunmen and a third man, ending a three-day manhunt. Police found Chérif and Saïd Kouachi, wanted for murdering 12 people in Paris on Wednesday, and cornered them in a printworks office.• Two separate police raids in Paris and Dammartin-en-Goële killed the Charlie Hebdo gunmen and a third man, ending a three-day manhunt. Police found Chérif and Saïd Kouachi, wanted for murdering 12 people in Paris on Wednesday, and cornered them in a printworks office.
• In an interview before he was killed, Cherif Kouachi claimed that he was sent by al-Qaida in Yemen, as a defender of the prophet. In a separate interview, Coulibaly said that his attack had been ‘synchronized’ with the Kouachis’ Charlie Hebdo attack.• In an interview before he was killed, Cherif Kouachi claimed that he was sent by al-Qaida in Yemen, as a defender of the prophet. In a separate interview, Coulibaly said that his attack had been ‘synchronized’ with the Kouachis’ Charlie Hebdo attack.
• The Paris prosecutor revealed new details of both sieges, stating that Coulibaly, his girlfriend and the Kouachi brothers had spoken on the phone more than 500 times.• The Paris prosecutor revealed new details of both sieges, stating that Coulibaly, his girlfriend and the Kouachi brothers had spoken on the phone more than 500 times.
• French special forces stormed the Dammartin-en-Goële printworks and a kosher supermarket in Vincennes, Paris, trading fire with the gunmen and throwing flashbang grenades after standoffs that lasted for hours. One hostage escaped unharmed in Dammartin-en-Goële.• French special forces stormed the Dammartin-en-Goële printworks and a kosher supermarket in Vincennes, Paris, trading fire with the gunmen and throwing flashbang grenades after standoffs that lasted for hours. One hostage escaped unharmed in Dammartin-en-Goële.
• Four hostages were killed and four wounded in the supermarket in Paris, where Amedy Coulibaly held civilians captive. Authorities believe Coulibaly and an accomplice killed a policewoman Thursday in southern Paris. They named the suspect as Hayat Boumeddienne, describing her as “armed and dangerous” and at large.• Four hostages were killed and four wounded in the supermarket in Paris, where Amedy Coulibaly held civilians captive. Authorities believe Coulibaly and an accomplice killed a policewoman Thursday in southern Paris. They named the suspect as Hayat Boumeddienne, describing her as “armed and dangerous” and at large.
• French president Francois Hollande addressed the nation from the Elysée, congratulating police and saying the nation must not give in to such a “terrifying antisemitic attack” like the one on the grocery store. “We are a free nation that does not give in,” he said. “We carry an ideal that is greater than us.”• French president Francois Hollande addressed the nation from the Elysée, congratulating police and saying the nation must not give in to such a “terrifying antisemitic attack” like the one on the grocery store. “We are a free nation that does not give in,” he said. “We carry an ideal that is greater than us.”
• World leaders pledged support for France and many of them will join Hollande at a rally in Paris on Sunday. British prime minister David Cameron, German chancellor Angela Merkel and EU president Donald Tusk all said they would accept Hollande’s invitation. Barack Obama said Paris’s spirit of freedom “will endure forever, long after the scourge of terrorism is banished from this world”.• World leaders pledged support for France and many of them will join Hollande at a rally in Paris on Sunday. British prime minister David Cameron, German chancellor Angela Merkel and EU president Donald Tusk all said they would accept Hollande’s invitation. Barack Obama said Paris’s spirit of freedom “will endure forever, long after the scourge of terrorism is banished from this world”.
UpdatedUpdated
at 4.18pm GMTat 4.18pm GMT
11.18pm GMT11.18pm GMT
23:1823:18
The French gendarmerie (GIGN) have released footage of the raid on Dammartin-en-Goële:The French gendarmerie (GIGN) have released footage of the raid on Dammartin-en-Goële:
11.13pm GMT11.13pm GMT
23:1323:13
Le Monde has published a series of photos taken by Amedy Coulibaly and his girlfriend in 2010, while they were visiting Islamic radical Djamel Beghal, who Le Monde has called Cherif Kouachi’s mentor. The photographs show Boumedienne, wearing a niqab and holding a crossbow.Le Monde has published a series of photos taken by Amedy Coulibaly and his girlfriend in 2010, while they were visiting Islamic radical Djamel Beghal, who Le Monde has called Cherif Kouachi’s mentor. The photographs show Boumedienne, wearing a niqab and holding a crossbow.
UpdatedUpdated
at 12.50am GMTat 12.50am GMT
11.04pm GMT11.04pm GMT
23:0423:04
Paris prosecutor reveals new details on both siegesParis prosecutor reveals new details on both sieges
Speaking at a conference, prosecutor François Molins reveals new details on both sieges:Speaking at a conference, prosecutor François Molins reveals new details on both sieges:
General:General:
Vincennes:Vincennes:
Dammartin-en-Goële:Dammartin-en-Goële:
Paris prosecutor said Amedy Coulibalis had cased the supermarket the week before. He had identified it as a target. Long planned.Paris prosecutor said Amedy Coulibalis had cased the supermarket the week before. He had identified it as a target. Long planned.
10.41pm GMT10.41pm GMT
22:4122:41
The French government has tweeted about Sunday’s rally that they are calling The Republican March. The poster says: “All United” with the hashtag France is Charlie, beneath it:The French government has tweeted about Sunday’s rally that they are calling The Republican March. The poster says: “All United” with the hashtag France is Charlie, beneath it:
Marche républicaine dimanche, tous unis! #JeSuisCharlie #LaFranceEstCharlie pic.twitter.com/TdL5riK83QMarche républicaine dimanche, tous unis! #JeSuisCharlie #LaFranceEstCharlie pic.twitter.com/TdL5riK83Q
10.23pm GMT10.23pm GMT
22:2322:23
Interviews with Kouachi & Coulibaly releasedInterviews with Kouachi & Coulibaly released
French channel BFM TV has posted an edited clip of the two separate conversations their staff had with Cherif Kouachi (previously here) and Amedy Coulibaly today. BFM said they waited until the end of siege operations to air the footage.French channel BFM TV has posted an edited clip of the two separate conversations their staff had with Cherif Kouachi (previously here) and Amedy Coulibaly today. BFM said they waited until the end of siege operations to air the footage.
In the clip, an anchor explains that a BFM reporter called the print works office where Kouachi was holed up, and Kouachi picked up. The 10am call was recorded, with Kouachi aware that he was speaking to a journalist and that he was to answer questions.In the clip, an anchor explains that a BFM reporter called the print works office where Kouachi was holed up, and Kouachi picked up. The 10am call was recorded, with Kouachi aware that he was speaking to a journalist and that he was to answer questions.
In the clip, Kouachi speaks in a very calm voice saying:In the clip, Kouachi speaks in a very calm voice saying:
We just want to say that we are the defenders of the prophet, and that I, Cherif Kouachi, was sent by al-Qaida in Yemen. And that I went there and that it was Sheikh Anwar al-Awlaki who financed me”, adding that the visit took place before Awlaki was killed.We just want to say that we are the defenders of the prophet, and that I, Cherif Kouachi, was sent by al-Qaida in Yemen. And that I went there and that it was Sheikh Anwar al-Awlaki who financed me”, adding that the visit took place before Awlaki was killed.
BFM said that after 3pm, they got a call from Amedy Coulibaly, who wanted to be in contact with the police. He spoke with a BFM editor:BFM said that after 3pm, they got a call from Amedy Coulibaly, who wanted to be in contact with the police. He spoke with a BFM editor:
BFM: Are you in touch with the two brothers who conducted the operation at Charlie Hebdo?BFM: Are you in touch with the two brothers who conducted the operation at Charlie Hebdo?
Coulibaly: Yes. We synchronized our operations.Coulibaly: Yes. We synchronized our operations.
BFM: Are you still in touch with them? Have you recently spoken with them by phone?BFM: Are you still in touch with them? Have you recently spoken with them by phone?
Coulibaly: No.Coulibaly: No.
BFM: How were you synchronized with the Kouachis? Are there further attacks planned?BFM: How were you synchronized with the Kouachis? Are there further attacks planned?
Coulibaly: No, we only synchronized to kick-start things: so when they started Charlie Hebdo, I started on the police officers.Coulibaly: No, we only synchronized to kick-start things: so when they started Charlie Hebdo, I started on the police officers.
He also added that at the time, he was standing there with four dead and 16 people including children.He also added that at the time, he was standing there with four dead and 16 people including children.
He finally that he committed these acts to defend “oppressed Muslims” notably in Palestine, and targeted the Kosher grocery store because he was targeting jews.He finally that he committed these acts to defend “oppressed Muslims” notably in Palestine, and targeted the Kosher grocery store because he was targeting jews.
You can listen to the full interview with Cherif Kouachi here, in which he claims they don’t kill civilians, not counting journalists among those.You can listen to the full interview with Cherif Kouachi here, in which he claims they don’t kill civilians, not counting journalists among those.
“We are defenders of the prophet. ... We don’t kill women, we’re not like you. ... We have codes of honour code.” Prompted by the reporter, Kouachi says: “We avenged” the prophet.“We are defenders of the prophet. ... We don’t kill women, we’re not like you. ... We have codes of honour code.” Prompted by the reporter, Kouachi says: “We avenged” the prophet.
Meanwhile, a video released which some experts have said was released by an official AQAP outlet, has praised the attacks.Meanwhile, a video released which some experts have said was released by an official AQAP outlet, has praised the attacks.
UpdatedUpdated
at 10.45pm GMTat 10.45pm GMT
9.48pm GMT9.48pm GMT
21:4821:48
Meanwhile, fears are mounting that anti-Islamic sentiments will intensify across Europe – namely, Germany, Italy and Switzerland – in the wake of the Paris attacks, write Angelique Chrisafis, Kate Connolly and Stephanie KirchGaessner:Meanwhile, fears are mounting that anti-Islamic sentiments will intensify across Europe – namely, Germany, Italy and Switzerland – in the wake of the Paris attacks, write Angelique Chrisafis, Kate Connolly and Stephanie KirchGaessner:
In the light of the growing Pegida movement – a grouping of disillusioned citizens, neo-Nazis and football hooligans who oppose Muslim immigration and have been backed by the anti-immigration party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) – the debate in Germany since the attacks in the French capital has been particularly nervous.In the light of the growing Pegida movement – a grouping of disillusioned citizens, neo-Nazis and football hooligans who oppose Muslim immigration and have been backed by the anti-immigration party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) – the debate in Germany since the attacks in the French capital has been particularly nervous.
Such organisations, just like other populist and anti-immigrant parties gaining support in the polls across Europe, have been quick to make political capital from the attacks, citing them as proof that all their fears about Islamism were true.Such organisations, just like other populist and anti-immigrant parties gaining support in the polls across Europe, have been quick to make political capital from the attacks, citing them as proof that all their fears about Islamism were true.
“This bloodbath proves that those who laughed at or ignored the fears of so many people about a looming danger of Islamism were wrong,” said Alexander Gauland, a regional leader of AfD, which has its roots in the euro crisis and is currently riding at 25% in nationwide polls, on the day of the Charlie Hebdo attacks. “This gives new weight to Pegida demands.”“This bloodbath proves that those who laughed at or ignored the fears of so many people about a looming danger of Islamism were wrong,” said Alexander Gauland, a regional leader of AfD, which has its roots in the euro crisis and is currently riding at 25% in nationwide polls, on the day of the Charlie Hebdo attacks. “This gives new weight to Pegida demands.”
Read the story in full here.Read the story in full here.
9.32pm GMT9.32pm GMT
21:3221:32
9.19pm GMT9.19pm GMT
21:1921:19
The role, if any, that al-Qaida has played in the Paris attacks has not been confirmed, but members of AQAP have said that their group in Yemen “directed the attack on the French magazine,” according to the Associated Press.The role, if any, that al-Qaida has played in the Paris attacks has not been confirmed, but members of AQAP have said that their group in Yemen “directed the attack on the French magazine,” according to the Associated Press.
BREAKING: Member of al-Qaida’s branch in Yemen says the group directed the attack on French magazine.BREAKING: Member of al-Qaida’s branch in Yemen says the group directed the attack on French magazine.
Separately, a source within al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula ‘who demanded anonymity’ has sent The Intercept a message praising the attacks, saying: “So France, are you ready for more attacks?”Separately, a source within al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula ‘who demanded anonymity’ has sent The Intercept a message praising the attacks, saying: “So France, are you ready for more attacks?”
The source, who demanded anonymity because the group has not yet released an official statement, also told The Intercept that two images in the latest issue of its publication, Inspire, published in December, contained a clue foreshadowing the attack on Charlie Hebdo.The source, who demanded anonymity because the group has not yet released an official statement, also told The Intercept that two images in the latest issue of its publication, Inspire, published in December, contained a clue foreshadowing the attack on Charlie Hebdo.
Earlier today, a Yemeni official told Reuters the older brother in the Charlie Hebdo attack Said Kouachi had traveled to Yemen in 2011 and met with Anwar al-Awlaki. “We do not have confirmed information that he was trained by al-Qaida but what was confirmed was that he has met with Awlaki in Shabwah,” the Yemeni official told Reuters.Earlier today, a Yemeni official told Reuters the older brother in the Charlie Hebdo attack Said Kouachi had traveled to Yemen in 2011 and met with Anwar al-Awlaki. “We do not have confirmed information that he was trained by al-Qaida but what was confirmed was that he has met with Awlaki in Shabwah,” the Yemeni official told Reuters.
The Guardian’s Jason Burke reports that “American officials claimed that both of the suspects had been on a US terrorist watch list “for years” and one had travelled to Yemen, possibly for training with a group linked to al-Qaida, four years ago.The Guardian’s Jason Burke reports that “American officials claimed that both of the suspects had been on a US terrorist watch list “for years” and one had travelled to Yemen, possibly for training with a group linked to al-Qaida, four years ago.
9.04pm GMT9.04pm GMT
21:0421:04
Dramatic new footage has emerged of police firing into and storming the Vincennes supermarket has been posted to YouTube.Dramatic new footage has emerged of police firing into and storming the Vincennes supermarket has been posted to YouTube.
The video, shot from a nearby building, shows the metal guard-door slowing rising as police hover in a swarm around its edges, and then the officers firing shots into the clearly lit aisles lined with produce. A body is visible on the ground inside.The video, shot from a nearby building, shows the metal guard-door slowing rising as police hover in a swarm around its edges, and then the officers firing shots into the clearly lit aisles lined with produce. A body is visible on the ground inside.
Then police throw a grenade into the building, and after an explosion a hostage runs through the doors holding a coat over his head. The police move inside in a cluster of shields and close formation, and more hostages come racing out between them. At one point the camera pans to watch two men dragging a third person clear of the scene, as that person weakly pushes themselves along the sidewalk with them.Then police throw a grenade into the building, and after an explosion a hostage runs through the doors holding a coat over his head. The police move inside in a cluster of shields and close formation, and more hostages come racing out between them. At one point the camera pans to watch two men dragging a third person clear of the scene, as that person weakly pushes themselves along the sidewalk with them.
Potential viewers should be warned that the video is graphic and bodies of the dead and wounded are clearly visible.Potential viewers should be warned that the video is graphic and bodies of the dead and wounded are clearly visible.
UpdatedUpdated
at 9.25pm GMTat 9.25pm GMT
8.42pm GMT8.42pm GMT
20:4220:42
• Two dramatic police raids on separately besieged buildings killed the Charlie Hebdo gunmen and a third suspect, ending a three-day manhunt. Police found Chérif and Saïd Kouachi, wanted for murdering 12 people in Paris on Wednesday, and cornered them in a printworks office in Dammartin-en-Goële, a town near Paris Charles de Gaulle airport.• Two dramatic police raids on separately besieged buildings killed the Charlie Hebdo gunmen and a third suspect, ending a three-day manhunt. Police found Chérif and Saïd Kouachi, wanted for murdering 12 people in Paris on Wednesday, and cornered them in a printworks office in Dammartin-en-Goële, a town near Paris Charles de Gaulle airport.
• French special forces stormed both the Dammartin-en-Goële printworks and a kosher supermarket in Vincennes, Paris, trading fire with the gunmen and throwing flashbang grenades after standoffs that lasted for hours. One hostage escaped unharmed in Dammartin-en-Goële, and police managed to free more than a dozen from the grocery.• French special forces stormed both the Dammartin-en-Goële printworks and a kosher supermarket in Vincennes, Paris, trading fire with the gunmen and throwing flashbang grenades after standoffs that lasted for hours. One hostage escaped unharmed in Dammartin-en-Goële, and police managed to free more than a dozen from the grocery.
• Four hostages were killed and four wounded in the supermarket in Paris, where Amedy Coulibaly held civilians captive and demanded police allow the Kouachi brothers go free. Authorities believe Coulibaly and an accomplice killed a policewoman Thursday in southern Paris.• Four hostages were killed and four wounded in the supermarket in Paris, where Amedy Coulibaly held civilians captive and demanded police allow the Kouachi brothers go free. Authorities believe Coulibaly and an accomplice killed a policewoman Thursday in southern Paris.
• French president Francois Hollande addressed the nation from the Elysée, congratulating police and saying the nation must not give in to such a “terrifying antisemitic attack” like the one on the grocery. “We are a free nation that does not give in,” he said. “We carry an ideal that is greater than us.”• French president Francois Hollande addressed the nation from the Elysée, congratulating police and saying the nation must not give in to such a “terrifying antisemitic attack” like the one on the grocery. “We are a free nation that does not give in,” he said. “We carry an ideal that is greater than us.”
• World leaders pledged support for France, many of whom will join Hollande at a rally in Paris on Sunday. British prime minister David Cameron, German chancellor Angela Merkel, and EU president Donald Tusk all said they would accept Hollande’s invitation. US president Barack Obama said Paris’ spirit of freedom “will endure forever, long after the scourge of terrorism is banished from this world.”• World leaders pledged support for France, many of whom will join Hollande at a rally in Paris on Sunday. British prime minister David Cameron, German chancellor Angela Merkel, and EU president Donald Tusk all said they would accept Hollande’s invitation. US president Barack Obama said Paris’ spirit of freedom “will endure forever, long after the scourge of terrorism is banished from this world.”
• Earlier on Friday, French police asked for information about a suspect linked to Coulibaly and the murder of the policewoman in Montrouge. It named her as Hayat Boumedienne, and described her as “armed and dangerous” and at large.• Earlier on Friday, French police asked for information about a suspect linked to Coulibaly and the murder of the policewoman in Montrouge. It named her as Hayat Boumedienne, and described her as “armed and dangerous” and at large.
UpdatedUpdated
at 4.18pm GMTat 4.18pm GMT
8.36pm GMT8.36pm GMT
20:3620:36
The US State Department is reviewing security for operations in France but continues otherwise as normal, McClatchey’s Hannah Allam writes.The US State Department is reviewing security for operations in France but continues otherwise as normal, McClatchey’s Hannah Allam writes.
State Dept: Reviewing security but nothing has changed in our posture; "our embassies and consulates remain up and running" in #Paris.State Dept: Reviewing security but nothing has changed in our posture; "our embassies and consulates remain up and running" in #Paris.
8.10pm GMT
20:10
Acclaimed graphic artist and journalist Joe Sacco has drawn a political cartoon for the Guardian on the limits of satire – and what it means if Muslims don’t find it funny:
8.03pm GMT
20:03
What we know about the raids and hostages
In Dammartin-en-Goele:
The Kouachi brothers, Chérif and Saïd, who killed 12 during their attack on the Charlie Hebdo offices on Wednesday, fled north-east out of Paris to Dammartin-en-Goele, where police cornered them inside a printworks office. Unconfirmed reports indicate that there were two civilians trapped with the Kouachis: the owner of the printworks, Michel Catalano, and a member of staff. The member of staff escaped and hid in the building, and kept security forces (GIGN) informed by phone of what was going on.
French special forces eventually stormed the printworks from the roof and ground, firing on the Kouachis. The brothers reportedly charged the entrance firing at police, and both were killed. No civilians were reported harmed.
In Vincennes:
Shortly after police surrounded the Kouachi brothers outside Paris, Amedy Coulibaly entered a kosher supermarket with an assault rifle and took a number of people hostage. At the same time as the raid in Dammartin, police threw flashbang grenades into the grocery and stormed the building. The gunman was killed, and several hostages were seen fleeing the grocery and reaching police and ambulances.
Coulibaly spoke with French BFM television during the siege and said he had 16 hostages and had killed four. French president François Hollande confirmed in an address that four people were killed at the supermarket, and interior minister Bernard Cazenueve said that four hostages and the gunman died there. The Associated Press quoted an Israeli official as saying the police raid freed 15 hostages. French media reported that four hostages were injured.
Updated
at 8.43pm GMT
7.51pm GMT
19:51
Charlie Hebdo’s editor has said his killed colleagues won’t be dead in the magazine’s next issue, Anne Penketh reports from Paris.
Gérard Briard said next week’s edition “won’t be an obituary. In the next Charlie, they’re not dead.”
In video-ed remarks on the Libération website, Briard said: “it will be a normal edition with all the artists of Charlie, all the journalists of Charlie, all the staff - including Mustapha (Ourrad) the copy editor who we never see, they will all be in the paper.”
He also said the journalists intended the edition, which has received an unprecedented amount of funding, to be “normal” and “funny” – “because we don’t know how to do anything else.”
In particular the magazine would strive to demonstrate that “they can’t say they’ve killed Charlie.”
7.43pm GMT
19:43
Interior minister: four hostages and one gunman killed
French interior minister Cazenueve has confirmed five in all were killed in Vincennes: four hostages and the gunman.
🔴 URGENT TERRORISME B.Cazeneuve confirme le bilan de 5 morts (dont A.Coulibaly) et 4 blessés, porte de Vincennes (France 2)
7.37pm GMT
19:37
Hollande’s predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy, has said in a press release:
War has been declared on France, on her institutions, on the Republic, by savages who negate the very existence of civilization and the universal values of humanism.
This tragic situation has called upon each of us to respect national unity, which we owe to the victims.
France must show herself strong and firm, to guarantee the safety of our compatriots, the respect for our way of life and our capacity to ensure to every person the liberty to say what thinks.
7.18pm GMT
19:18
“The United States stands with France,” President Barack Obama has said in a speech from Tennessee, cautioning “the French government needs to stay vigilant” as it confronts new threats.
“Events have been fast moving, I just spoke to my counterterrorism advisor, we have been in close touch with the French government. … Since the moment that this tragedy began we directed all of our enforcement and counterterrorism to providing whatever our ally needs.
“We’re hopeful that the immediate threat is now resolved [but] the French government needs to stay vigilant, the situation is fluid.”
Obama then made a broader remarks about what the attacks mean for the France and US going forward:
“France is our oldest ally. I want people of France to know that the United States stands with you today, stands with you tomorrow. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families who have been directly impacted. We grieve with you. We fight alongside you to uphold our values, the values that we share – universal values that bind us together as friends and as allies.
“In the streets of Paris, the world has seen once again what terrorists stand for. The have nothing to offer but hatred and suffering. We stand for freedom and hope and the dignity of all human beings. That is what the city of Paris represents to the world and that spirit will endure forever, long after the scourge of terrorism is banished from this world.”
Updated
at 8.50pm GMT
6.58pm GMT
18:58
Hollande: four killed in Paris 'anti-semitic attack'
Hollande confirms that four people were killed in the siege in the Vincennes supermarket.
“I want to salute the police and and all those who participated in the operations. I want to tell them we are proud of you,” Hollande says, adding that they saved the hostages and “neutralized” the terrorists.
Along with the prime minister, Hollande says “we have reinforced protection of our public spaces, to guarantee that we can live quietly, in peace, so that at no moment we will be subject to risk and threats. But we must remain vigilant.”
“We need to show our determination against anything and everything that can divide us. We should be firm against racism and antisemitism,” Hollande says,calling the attack on the market in Vincennes a “terrifying anti-semitic attack”.
“Unity is our best weapon.”
Hollande says that numerous state leaders from around the world have expressed their solidarity with France. “They will be here on Sunday. I will be with them. I call on all French men and women to get up together this Sunday to demonstrate the values of democracy, liberty and pluralism.
“We are a free nation that does not give in. We carry an ideal that is greater than us.”
Quoting Hollande’s speech, the interior ministry tweeted: “Those who committed these acts have nothing to do with the Muslim religion.”
#DirectPR @fhollande "Ceux qui ont commis ces actes n'ont rien à voir avec la religion musulmane."
Updated
at 7.20pm GMT
6.50pm GMT
18:50
French president Francois Hollande is now speaking to the nation in a televised address from the Elysée. He may finally clarify the sequence of events and number of casualties, killed and injured, of the past few hours.
6.48pm GMT
18:48
French TV station BFM spoke with suspects Cherif Kouachi and Amedy Coulibaly earlier today during the sieges in Vincennes and Dammartin, Jon Henley reports from Paris.
During the conversation, Kouachi said he was “sent by al-Qaida in Yemen” – as was Coulibaly the hostage taker at the grocery shop in Vincennes, who was also contacted by BFM.
Coulibaly said that he had 16 hostages and had killed four.
He also confirmed he had targeted the kosher grocery shop because “it was Jewish”.
BFM did not immediately release the tape due to the police operation that was in action at the time.
Updated
at 7.27pm GMT
6.32pm GMT
18:32
Cazeneuve did not mention numbers of dead or injured in both the Dammartin and Vincennes sieges, rather focusing on congratulating police forces.
France 24’s Phoebe Lanzer Wood and freelance journalist Sruthi Gottipati have more:
French Interior Min. Cazeneuve: "The investigation is ongoing. We're gradually getting more clarity on what happened." #ParisAttacks
French interior min congratulates the police forces. Doesn't want to give too much info without vetting it first with judicial authority
A tweet from the French Interior Ministry, attributing to Cazeneuve:
“mobilization, vigilance, protection of French citizens: such is our duty, such is our task. We will continue to accomplish this.”
.@BCazeneuve : mobilisation, vigilance, protection des Français : tel est notre devoir, telle est notre tâche. Ns continuerons à l'accomplir
Updated
at 6.34pm GMT