A witness who works in the office opposite the magazine’s told BFMTV that he saw two hooded men, dressed in black, enter the building with Kalashnikov submachine guns.
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“We then heard them open fire inside, with many shots,” he told the channel. “We were all evacuated to the roof. After several minutes, the men fled, after having continued firing in the middle of the street.”
Witnesses also spoke of seeing a rocket launcher, according to French media reports.
It’s not yet clear what happened to the gunmen or whether they remain at large. There has also been no claim of responsibility.
The satirical magazine’s premises have been under long-running police surveillance because of a potential threat from Islamist extremists.
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