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Paris shootings: Charlie Hebdo massacre suspects holed-up in print works north of Paris after 'two killed' in gunfight Paris shootings: Charlie Hebdo massacre suspects holed-up in print works north of Paris after gunfight
(35 minutes later)
Two people have been killed and 20 injured today in a gun battle north of Paris involving the two brothers sought for the Charlie Hebdo massacre, according to media reports in France. After a 30-mile police pursuit, the suspects are reported to be taking refuge in a print works north of Paris. Several hostages are reported to have been taken. Police negotiations have begun with the two suspects wanted over the killing of 12 people at the Paris offces of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo as they hold several hostages at a print works building at an industrial estate north of Paris.
The Parisien newspaper reported that the brothers had taken several hostages in a small print works in the village of Dammartin-en-Goële, just north east of Charles de Gaulle airport. The newspaper's website said two peopple had been killed and 20 hurt in a aprolonged gun battle. At least three ambulances entered the town  of Dammartin-en-Goele, just north of Charles de Gaulle airport, shortly before 10.20am, followed by several car loads of balaclava-clad specialist counter-terror officers in unmarked vehicles.
Convoys of police vehicles were seen flowing out of central Paris towards the town, which sits some 20 miles out of the capital near Charles De Gaulle airport.
Checkpoints were being put in place at motorway intersections heading into Paris. At one location armed officers could be seen on the A2 motorway itself, watching traffic coming towards the capital.
Five police helicopters hovered overhead. Heavily armed elite police units surrounded the area. Local people were ordered to stay indoors.Five police helicopters hovered overhead. Heavily armed elite police units surrounded the area. Local people were ordered to stay indoors.
Earlier, Cherif and Said Kouachi, were reported to have hijacked a Peugeot car near the small town of Crepy-en-Valois, which was at the epicentre of a massive police hunt yesterday. They were pursued for 30 miles south along the N2 trunk road by gendarmerie cars and took refuge in the print works.Earlier, Cherif and Said Kouachi, were reported to have hijacked a Peugeot car near the small town of Crepy-en-Valois, which was at the epicentre of a massive police hunt yesterday. They were pursued for 30 miles south along the N2 trunk road by gendarmerie cars and took refuge in the print works.
It was not immediately clear whether the two victims were police officers or civilians.   Shots were fired, but earlier reports of two deaths were denied by the Paris chief prosecutor's office.
Police and gendarmerie elite units, using tracker dogs and helicopters with searchlights, spent the night searching woodland and vilages in a zone 30 miles to the north of the reported gun battle. Members of the French gendarmerie intervention forces arrive at the scene of a hostage taking at an industrial zone in Dammartin-en-Goele  
The print works  - belonging to a company called Création Tendance Découverte – was rapidly surrounded by units of the police and gendarmerie elite police forces, Raid and GIGN.
School children in Dammartin-en-Goële were ordered to stay indoors and away from widows. “Some kids are crying. Others are trying to calm people. We are trying to laugh so that we are not scared,” one teenaged girl told Le Figaro.
Police sources gave The Independent more details of the earlier car hijacking. They said that the brothers had hijacked a grey Peugeot at about 8am from a woman driver near Crepy-en-Valois. They had made the woman leave the car at gunpoint but had not harmed her.
When she raised the alarm, gendarmerie cars pursued the brothers south on the N2 until they were cut off by road-blocks in Dammartin. After a gun battle with police and gendarmes, the brothers took refuge in the print works, which employs five people.
One pupil in the local school tweeted: “Gun fire next to my so normal school!  We are locked up and forbidden to go out.”
The French interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, confirmed that an “operation” was in progress at Dammartin-en-Goële.The French interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, confirmed that an “operation” was in progress at Dammartin-en-Goële.
President Francois Hollande cut short a crisis cabinet meeting on the Charle Hebdo affair to go to the incident room at police headquarters.President Francois Hollande cut short a crisis cabinet meeting on the Charle Hebdo affair to go to the incident room at police headquarters.
All flights in and out of Charles de Gaulle airport, ten miles away, were diverted to runways and taxiways on the south side of one of the busiest airports in the world. This measure was taken “as a precaution”, an official said, to avoid conflicts between aircraft and the five police helicopters hovering over the siege scene.