Several people have been killed by armed gunmen shooting at Paris magazine Charlie Hebdo

Several people have been killed by armed gunmen in a shooting at the Paris offices of a satirical magazine, according to French media reports.

Two masked men (pictured) brandishing Kalashnikovs stormed the headquarters of French satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo, this afternoon and opened fire on staff, killing 12 people and wounding 10, including reporters, administrative staff and two police police officers.
According to local media reports, some witnesses claimed that the attackers stalked the building for a few minutes, asking for people that work at the magazine by name before opening fire, and killing the mag's editor and cartoonist while they were having their editorial meeting.
The attack is supposedly in revenge for the magazine's mockery of the Holy Prophet Mohammed in a cartoon. A journalist with Europe1 News said several men in black were heard shouting 'the Prophet has been avenged', after the mass shooting. Police chased the attacker but the men managed to escape in a car they hijacked. The attackers are still on the loose. See photos below...

The men seen near the French magazine office

French President François Hollande arrives at the scene, where he promised to bring those responsible to justice

Shooting was heard at the headquarters of Charlie Hebdo, a satirical magazine known for publishing controversial cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in 2012.

 Police officers and firefighters gather in front of the offices of the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo. Photo / AFP
"Several men in black cagoules were heard to shout 'the Prophet has been avenged'", wrote Pierre de Cossette, a broadcast journalist with Europe1 News.
"I think there are casualties," said the publication's cartoonist, Renaud Luzier.
The magazine is based in Paris's 11th arrondissement.
The latest tweet published by the magazine's official twitter account appeared to be a cartoon of Abu Baghdadi, the leader of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil).

AFP just tweeted photos of some of the cartoonists that work at French satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo, who were killed today January 7th by masked gunmen while having their editorial meeting.

Charlie Hebdo journalist tells Le Monde:
These past ‬ few months we didn't have any great concern despite the threats. Naturally, our offices were under police protection, which reminded us of the threats. Charb was under police protection but he moved around without his policemen, which was a sign he wasn't worried all the time.
Luz and Riss (other cartoonists) were also under police protection but it was lifted around a year ago. We received email threats all the time and phone calls. But we didn't really take them seriously. We had got used to it. Recently we thought the threats were pretty much over.
13.16 The Telegraph's Philip Johnston writes:
The French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo had no qualms about lampooning Islam. Why should it? In a free and liberally-inclined country like France it routinely took the mickey out of politicians and creeds whatever their source. But the editors knew they were running a risk by sending up Islam because militants will simply not accept that their religion be traduced in any way – and are prepared to kill or threaten to make their point.
 

- Daily Telegraph UK