At least 11 people were killed when gunmen opened fire in the offices of French satirical weekly, Charlie Hebdo today. According to a police source, two men armed with a Kalashnikov and a rocket-launcher, stormed the building in central Paris and fire was exchanged with security forces. The source said, gunmen had hijacked a car and knocked over a pedestrian as they sped away. French President Francois Hollande has called an emergency cabinet meeting.
The satirical magazine gained notoriety in February 2006 when it reprinted cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed that had originally appeared in Danish daily Jyllands-Posten, causing fury across the Muslim world. Its offices were fire-bombed in November 2011 when it published a cartoon of the Prophet and under the title “ChariaHebdo”. Despite being taken to court under anti-racism laws, the magazine continued to publish controversial cartoons of the Muslim prophet. French schools, consulates and cultural centres in 20 Muslim countries were briefly closed along with embassies for fear of retaliatory attacks. Editor Stephane Charbonnier had received death threats and lives under police protection. The latest tweet by the magazine was a cartoon of the Islamic State militant group leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Condemning the terrorist attack in Paris today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, it was a despicable act. He said that India's solidarity lies with the people of France and his thoughts are with the families of those who lost their lives in the attack.