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French Police: Six Terrorists 'Still At Large'

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 13 Januari 2015 | 12.27

Up to six terror cell members may still be at large after the Paris attacks in which 17 people were murdered, French police have warned.

One of them has been spotted driving a car registered to the partner of one of the dead attackers, according to the authorities.

Police officials said a search was being carried out of the Paris area for the Mini Cooper car registered to Hayat Boumeddiene, the girlfriend of Amedy Coulibaly, who gunned down a police officer before killing four people in a Jewish supermarket last Friday.

The attack came after co-conspirators Said and Cherif Kouachi massacred 12 people at the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday.

All three killers were finally cornered and died in police assaults on Friday.

France's Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, said Coulibaly "undoubtedly" had an accomplice and that "the hunt will go on" for anyone who helped him.

Boumeddiene remains on the run amid reports she has fled to Syria.

Footage has emerged of her arriving at Istanbul Airport before the attacks in Paris took place.

In a video, Coulibaly defended the atrocities and pledged allegiance to the terror group Islamic State.

Meanwhile, France has deployed nearly 5,000 police to protect Jewish schools and mobilised thousands more security forces following the terror attacks.

Three million copies are to be published of this week's Charlie Hebdo special "survivors' issue", with many of them to be made available outside of France and offered "in 16 languages".

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  1. Gallery: Commandos Storm Supermarket

    Pic: @conflictnews

Explosions rang out at the scene

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12.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Defiant Charlie Hebdo To Feature Mohammed

Charlie Hebdo will feature a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed in a special "survivor's issue" of the magazine produced after last week's newsroom massacre.

The magazine, which features the bearded figure with a tear in his eye under the message "all is forgiven", announced it would print three million copies in several languages instead on its usual 60,000 when it goes on sale on Wednesday.

The cover of the magazine was published online by the Liberation newspaper.

It is the first edition since two Islamist gunmen stormed Charlie Hebdo's headquarters in Paris on 7 January and killed 12 people, in apparent revenge for the publication of cartoons featuring the prophet.

Cherif and Said Kouachi claimed they belonged to the jihadist group al Qaeda in Yemen.

They were killed on Friday, along with accomplice Amedy Coulibaly who claimed to belong to rival Islamic State group. Coulibaly murdered a policewoman and then four Jewish shoppers at a kosher supermarket in the French capital.

Witnesses at the Charlie Hebdo offices reported the attackers shouted "we have avenged the prophet".

The bodies of the four people killed during the supermarket attack arrived in Israel on Tuesday morning ahead of a funeral in Jerusalem.

Yoav Hattab, Philippe Braham, Yohan Cohen and Francois-Michel Saada were shot dead and another 15 people taken hostage before police stormed the building, killing Colibaly.

The hunt is also continuing for Coulibaly's partner, 26-year-old Hayat Boumeddiene.

Footage has been released of her arriving at Istanbul Airport.

It comes after French authorities announced the deployment of thousands of soldiers to boost security in the country in the wake of the attacks.

Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, speaking after an emergency security meeting, said: "We have decided... to mobilise 10,000 men to protect sensitive sites in the whole country.

"This is the first time that our troops have been mobilised to such an extent on our own soil."

Nearly 5,000 police officers have been deployed to protect Jewish schools.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls has said Coulibaly is likely to have received help from others.

He told French radio: "We think there are in fact probably accomplices. The hunt will go on."

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  1. Gallery: In Pictures: Magazine That Couldn't Be Silenced

    Two editions of Charlie Hebdo pictured in Paris in September 2012. The first pictures a caveman holding fire and oil with the heading "irresponsible newspaper" while the other has an empty front page with the label "responsible newspaper".

People attend a rally in support of the magazine in November 2011, days after the offices were targeted by petrol bombs.

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12.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

March Against Terror Is France's 'Biggest Demo'

Written By Unknown on Senin, 12 Januari 2015 | 12.27

More than a million people have marched through Paris in a show of defiance and unity in the wake of three days of terror that left 17 people dead.

Officials say the rally was the largest demonstration in French history.

In total, more than three million people took part in anti-extremism rallies across France.

The capital was on high alert as the crowd made its way from the historic Place de la Republique to Place de la Nation.

The families of those who died in the shootings, many of them weeping and embracing, led the march alongside heads of state and royalty.

World leaders linked hands as they set off on the 1.9 mile route.

Among those at the front of the crowd were French President Francois Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron.

Before they set off, a minute of silence was observed for those who died in the attacks.

Many of those marching carried the French national flag and tributes to the victims of the attacks on a satirical magazine, a Jewish supermarket and police.

Occasional bursts of applause and chants of "Charlie! Charlie!" in memory of the journalists gunned down at Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday could be heard from the crowds.

Small groups sang the La Marseillaise, the French national anthem.

Giant letters attached to a statue in the Place de la Republique spelt out the word "Pourquoi?" (Why?).

More than 5,500 police and military personnel were deployed, including 2,200 who guarded the route of the march.

Some 2,000 police officers and 1,350 soldiers were stationed at other locations around the city, including at places of worship, media outlets and public buildings.

A total of 150 plain clothes detectives mingled among the crowd and a security perimeter was enforced, with roads and some metro stations closed.

Nearly 10,000 people took to the streets of Dammartin-en-Goele, the small town where the manhunt for the brothers behind the Charlie Hebdo attack came to a bloody end.

In Saint-Etienne in the southeast, some 60,000 people, more than a third of the population, joined a march from the railway station to the town hall. 

The scenes were repeated everywhere from Perpignan in the Pyrenees of the south to Blois in the Loire valley. 

Ahead of the Paris rally, French President Francois Hollande said: "Today, Paris is the capital of the world.

"Our entire country will rise up toward something better."

Brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi, who were behind the attack on Charlie Hebdo, and their associate Amedy Coulibaly, who shot dead a policewoman and then killed four people at the kosher supermarket, were killed by police on Friday.

Authorities are hunting Coulibaly's "armed and dangerous" partner Hayat Boumeddiene.

:: Watch Sky News Special Report: Paris Attack on skynews.com and our mobile apps.

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  1. Gallery: France Attacks: Marches Worldwide

    London's Tower Bridge is illuminated by the red, white and blue of the French Tricolore in solidarity with the capital of the UK's nearest neighbour state

People in many countries around the world have taken part in demonstrations of unity with the French people after the attacks in Paris. A large number of people gathered in Madrid

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12.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

PM Set To Discuss Britain's Response To Terror

David Cameron will meet intelligence and security chiefs today to discuss whether further measures are needed to deal with the threat of terror attacks in Britain.

The meeting comes after the Prime Minister joined French President Francois Hollande and world leaders for a rally in Paris to remember the 17 victims of last week's attacks on France.

Speaking to Sky News following the march, Mr Cameron said it was necessary to "ask ourselves how we would respond to this sort of situation" in Britain.

"We've spent a lot of time in the past looking at how we would respond to this kind of marauding firearms attack by people who want to martyr themselves," he said.

"In a free country, there's never any way you can guarantee against an attack and the damage an attack can do.

"But what we do have in Britain is brilliant security and intelligence services, very strong counter-terrorism policing, and a way of co-ordinating the work that they do with special forces and others to make sure that when these things happen, we respond in the best way we possibly can.

"Crucially in recent months, the brilliance of our intelligence services has prevented a number of plots, including to kill police officers. But you can't always guarantee that will happen."

Plans for a new communications data bill in the UK were previously blocked by the Liberal Democrats, but the Conservatives have signalled that they will revive the legislation if they win the May General Election.

Civil liberties campaigners have warned against any attempt to use the Charlie Hebdo attack as a pretext for introducing further surveillance powers in Britain.

Big Brother Watch director Emma Carr said: "It is wholly unacceptable for this tragedy in Paris to be used as a means to call for a return of the snooper's charter.

"It is the wrong solution and would divert resources from focused surveillance operations at a time when the agencies are already struggling to cope with the volume of information available."

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  1. Gallery: France Attacks: Marches Worldwide

    London's Tower Bridge is illuminated by the red, white and blue of the French Tricolore in solidarity with the capital of the UK's nearest neighbour state

People in many countries around the world have taken part in demonstrations of unity with the French people after the attacks in Paris. A large number of people gathered in Madrid

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12.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hayat Boumeddiene Hunted As More Attacks Feared

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 10 Januari 2015 | 12.27

Police are hunting for the wife of one of the three gunmen who brought three days of terror to France, saying she may be "armed and dangerous".

Hayat Boumeddiene, a suspect in the murder of a Paris policewoman on Thursday, is on the run after her husband Amedy Coulibaly was killed when armed officers brought his kosher supermarket siege to a violent end.

The 26-year-old could hold the key to the ongoing terror investigation, as police admit they may be dealing with a larger extremist cell and authorities brace for more attacks.

Details are emerging of the young woman of Algerian descent and the links between Coulibaly, 32, and the Kouachi brothers, who were killed two days after murdering 12 people at the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. 

Boumeddiene reportedly started wearing a burkha in May 2009 after meeting Coulibaly and quit her job as a cashier before marrying him in a religious ceremony later that year.

According to French judicial documents, the couple travelled with Cherif Kouachi and his wife in 2010 to central France to visit radical Islamist Djamel Beghal, who had been sentenced to 10 years in prison for terror offences.

The pair posed for photos during the visit, taking selfies and a snap of Boumeddiene pointing a crossbow at the camera.

Interviewed that year by counter-terrorism officers over Coulibaly's involvement in an attempt to free Paris bomber Smain Ait Ali Belkacem from jail, she was open about her fanatical views.

According to Le Nouvel Observateur, she refused to condemn al Qaeda attacks, preferring to criticise America's military interventions around the world and the western media.

The links between the couple and the Kouachi's apparently thrived, with Paris prosecutor Francois Molins revealing Boumeddiene and the wife of one of the brothers exchanged more than 500 phone calls in 2014.

A police search of Coulibaly's residence in 2010 turned up a crossbow, 240 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, films and photos of him during a trip to Malaysia, and letters seeking false official documents.

In a police interview that same year, Coulibaly identified Cherif Kouachi as a friend he had met in prison and said they saw each other frequently, according to a transcript of the interview obtained by the Journal du Dimanche newspaper.

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  1. Gallery: Magazine Victims Identified

    Muslim police officer Ahmed Merabet was killed outside Charlie Hebdo's offices. Video of the attack showed him lying on the ground and begging for mercy as he was shot in the head

Bernard Maris was a journalist and shareholder in Charlie Hebdo

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12.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Charlie Hebdo: Al Qaeda Threatens More Attacks

Charlie Hebdo: Al Qaeda Threatens More Attacks

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By Ian Woods, Senior Correspondent, in Dammartin-en-Goele

Al Qaeda has threatened France with more terror attacks after 17 people were killed at Charlie Hebdo's offices and at a Jewish supermarket.

The warning came as President Francois Hollande admitted the threats "weren't over" and police hunting a female suspect suggested there could be a larger terrorist cell planning further atrocities.  

A sharia official from al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), Harith al Nadhari, said in a video: "It is better for you to stop your aggression against the Muslims, so perhaps you will live safely. If you refuse but to wage war, then wait for the glad tiding." 

AQAP has claimed it directed brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi in the attack on Charlie Hebdo "as revenge for the honour" of the Prophet Mohammed.

The United States has also warned Americans to beware "terrorist actions and violence" all over the world following the deaths in Paris.

The gunman killed by police at a kosher supermarket in Paris has told how he "co-ordinated" with the Charlie Hebdo killers and was a member of the Islamic State group.

Amedy Coulibaly's call to France's BFMTV station, emerged after gunfire and explosions marked the violent conclusion to two hostage-takings 30 miles apart.

Just minutes separated the series of blasts at the Paris store and those that rocked a warehouse in Dammartin-en-Goele, where the Kouachi brothers were holed up.

Police stormed both buildings almost simultaneously, killing both brothers, while at least four hostages and the jihadist gunman died at the Paris grocery store.

Coulibaly told BFMTV in the call from the supermarket that he had worked with the Kouachi brothers, who he described as his "officers".

"They (dealt with) Charlie Hebdo, I (dealt with) the police," he reportedly said.

Police became convinced the two attacks were linked after they discovered that Coulibaly's wife and fellow suspect Hayat Boumeddiene and the partner of one of the Kouachis had called each other more than 500 times last year.

They have subsequently established that Cherif Kouachi met Coulibaly in prison and the two men visited jihadist Djamel Beghal with their wives in 2010.

Coulibaly said he targeted the kosher supermarket because he wanted to defend Palestinians and target Jews.

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  1. Gallery: Faces Of Paris Suspects And Victims

    French police have released mugshots of a man and a woman linked to the killing of a policewoman in Paris. They are also believed to be the hostage-takers involved in the siege at a Paris supermarket. Pictured is Hayat Boumeddiene, 26

Her accomplice was named as Amedy Coulibaly, 32

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Cherif Kouachi, 32, (pictured) and Said Kouachi, 34, are believed to have carried out the massacre at magazine Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday

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The brothers took a hostage and were killed when police stormed the building where they were holed up in Dammartin-en-Goele, northwest of Paris. They are orphans who grew up in Rennes before moving to a a Paris council estate. Pictured here is Said Kouachi

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Charlie Hebdo editor Stephane Charbonnier, 47, had received death threats in the past and was living under police protection. Charbonnier and his nine colleagues, along with the two policemen killed at Charlie Hebdo

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Charlie Hebdo: Al Qaeda Threatens More Attacks

We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.

By Ian Woods, Senior Correspondent, in Dammartin-en-Goele

Al Qaeda has threatened France with more terror attacks after 17 people were killed at Charlie Hebdo's offices and at a Jewish supermarket.

The warning came as President Francois Hollande admitted the threats "weren't over" and police hunting a female suspect suggested there could be a larger terrorist cell planning further atrocities.  

A sharia official from al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), Harith al Nadhari, said in a video: "It is better for you to stop your aggression against the Muslims, so perhaps you will live safely. If you refuse but to wage war, then wait for the glad tiding." 

AQAP has claimed it directed brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi in the attack on Charlie Hebdo "as revenge for the honour" of the Prophet Mohammed.

The United States has also warned Americans to beware "terrorist actions and violence" all over the world following the deaths in Paris.

The gunman killed by police at a kosher supermarket in Paris has told how he "co-ordinated" with the Charlie Hebdo killers and was a member of the Islamic State group.

Amedy Coulibaly's call to France's BFMTV station, emerged after gunfire and explosions marked the violent conclusion to two hostage-takings 30 miles apart.

Just minutes separated the series of blasts at the Paris store and those that rocked a warehouse in Dammartin-en-Goele, where the Kouachi brothers were holed up.

Police stormed both buildings almost simultaneously, killing both brothers, while at least four hostages and the jihadist gunman died at the Paris grocery store.

Coulibaly told BFMTV in the call from the supermarket that he had worked with the Kouachi brothers, who he described as his "officers".

"They (dealt with) Charlie Hebdo, I (dealt with) the police," he reportedly said.

Police became convinced the two attacks were linked after they discovered that Coulibaly's wife and fellow suspect Hayat Boumeddiene and the partner of one of the Kouachis had called each other more than 500 times last year.

They have subsequently established that Cherif Kouachi met Coulibaly in prison and the two men visited jihadist Djamel Beghal with their wives in 2010.

Coulibaly said he targeted the kosher supermarket because he wanted to defend Palestinians and target Jews.

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  1. Gallery: Faces Of Paris Suspects And Victims

    French police have released mugshots of a man and a woman linked to the killing of a policewoman in Paris. They are also believed to be the hostage-takers involved in the siege at a Paris supermarket. Pictured is Hayat Boumeddiene, 26

Her accomplice was named as Amedy Coulibaly, 32

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Cherif Kouachi, 32, (pictured) and Said Kouachi, 34, are believed to have carried out the massacre at magazine Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday

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The brothers took a hostage and were killed when police stormed the building where they were holed up in Dammartin-en-Goele, northwest of Paris. They are orphans who grew up in Rennes before moving to a a Paris council estate. Pictured here is Said Kouachi

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Charlie Hebdo editor Stephane Charbonnier, 47, had received death threats in the past and was living under police protection. Charbonnier and his nine colleagues, along with the two policemen killed at Charlie Hebdo

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12.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Terror Police Search Forest In Hunt For Gunmen

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 09 Januari 2015 | 12.27

Terror Police Search Forest In Hunt For Gunmen

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Anti-terror police are searching dense woodland northeast of Paris after two gunmen suspected of killing 12 people in the Charlie Hebdo magazine attack were sighted.

Two men reportedly fitting the descriptions of brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi stole fuel and food from a petrol station near Villers-Cotterets, in the northern Aisne region, 43 miles (70km) from Paris, on Thursday morning.

Heavily-armed police have finished searching the village of Crepy-en-Valois, 10 miles (16km) from the petrol station.

They are now focusing on a stretch of countryside spanning from Soissons, through Abbaye de Longpont, right up to Villers-Cotteret.

Sky's Joey Jones, at the scene, said officers were going house-to-house "scrutinising each resident".

Witness Benoit Verdun told Sky News he believes the suspects are in a very large forest near Longpont, which he said is "bigger than Paris" - measuring some 13,000 hectares, or 50 square miles.

Crepy-en-Valois' mayor Bruno Fortier said he could not confirm reports the men were holed up in a house in the area.

"It's an incessant waltz of police cars and trucks," he told Reuters.

Jones said the picture is one of "utter confusion" and there are many rumours flying around. 

Earlier the men, wearing balaclavas, were spotted travelling on the N2 road in the direction of Paris in a Renault Clio which had weapons on its back seat and its number plates covered.

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  1. Gallery: First Picture Inside Charlie Hebdo Office

    WARNING: GALLERY CONTAINS A GRAPHIC IMAGE FROM INSIDE CHARLIE HEBDO OFFICE. Charlie Hebdo magazine's headquarters in central Paris before the attack

The blood spattered scene inside the office showing the aftermath of the attack, with papers strewn across the rooms.

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A file photo of French cartoonist Charb, publishing director of the magazine, posing for photographs inside the office.

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French police stand guard outside the premises following the attack on Wednesday

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AFP said the pair had Kalashnikovs and what appeared to be a rocket-launcher.

RAID, the French anti-terrorist unit, and GIGN, a paramilitary special operations unit, have been deployed in the region.

But Jones said it would appear the suspects are "a step or two ahead" of authorities at the moment.

Officials said the French nationals, both in their 30s and the sons of Algerian-born parents, are linked to a Yemeni terror network.

The pair are on a US no-fly list, but American officials would not give further details, including whether they fought in the Middle East with extremist groups.

Islamic State radio praised the killers as "heroes" and said they had avenged the Prophet Mohammed.

On Wednesday night, police raided an apartment in the city of Reims in the search for the killers. Seven people were arrested.

Another suspect handed himself in to police after he was named on social media as 18-year-old Hamyd Mourad.

Sky sources say the teenager, who has been arrested, is the brother-in-law of the suspects.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said a total of nine people are now in custody and more than 90 witnesses have been interviewed.

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  1. Gallery: Magazine Victims Identified

    Muslim police officer Ahmed Merabet was killed outside Charlie Hebdo's offices. Video of the attack showed him lying on the ground and begging for mercy as he was shot in the head.

Bernard Maris was a journalist and shareholder in Charlie Hebdo

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Terror Police Search Forest In Hunt For Gunmen

We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.

Anti-terror police are searching dense woodland northeast of Paris after two gunmen suspected of killing 12 people in the Charlie Hebdo magazine attack were sighted.

Two men reportedly fitting the descriptions of brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi stole fuel and food from a petrol station near Villers-Cotterets, in the northern Aisne region, 43 miles (70km) from Paris, on Thursday morning.

Heavily-armed police have finished searching the village of Crepy-en-Valois, 10 miles (16km) from the petrol station.

They are now focusing on a stretch of countryside spanning from Soissons, through Abbaye de Longpont, right up to Villers-Cotteret.

Sky's Joey Jones, at the scene, said officers were going house-to-house "scrutinising each resident".

Witness Benoit Verdun told Sky News he believes the suspects are in a very large forest near Longpont, which he said is "bigger than Paris" - measuring some 13,000 hectares, or 50 square miles.

Crepy-en-Valois' mayor Bruno Fortier said he could not confirm reports the men were holed up in a house in the area.

"It's an incessant waltz of police cars and trucks," he told Reuters.

Jones said the picture is one of "utter confusion" and there are many rumours flying around. 

Earlier the men, wearing balaclavas, were spotted travelling on the N2 road in the direction of Paris in a Renault Clio which had weapons on its back seat and its number plates covered.

1/4

  1. Gallery: First Picture Inside Charlie Hebdo Office

    WARNING: GALLERY CONTAINS A GRAPHIC IMAGE FROM INSIDE CHARLIE HEBDO OFFICE. Charlie Hebdo magazine's headquarters in central Paris before the attack

The blood spattered scene inside the office showing the aftermath of the attack, with papers strewn across the rooms.

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A file photo of French cartoonist Charb, publishing director of the magazine, posing for photographs inside the office.

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French police stand guard outside the premises following the attack on Wednesday

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AFP said the pair had Kalashnikovs and what appeared to be a rocket-launcher.

RAID, the French anti-terrorist unit, and GIGN, a paramilitary special operations unit, have been deployed in the region.

But Jones said it would appear the suspects are "a step or two ahead" of authorities at the moment.

Officials said the French nationals, both in their 30s and the sons of Algerian-born parents, are linked to a Yemeni terror network.

The pair are on a US no-fly list, but American officials would not give further details, including whether they fought in the Middle East with extremist groups.

Islamic State radio praised the killers as "heroes" and said they had avenged the Prophet Mohammed.

On Wednesday night, police raided an apartment in the city of Reims in the search for the killers. Seven people were arrested.

Another suspect handed himself in to police after he was named on social media as 18-year-old Hamyd Mourad.

Sky sources say the teenager, who has been arrested, is the brother-in-law of the suspects.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said a total of nine people are now in custody and more than 90 witnesses have been interviewed.

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  1. Gallery: Magazine Victims Identified

    Muslim police officer Ahmed Merabet was killed outside Charlie Hebdo's offices. Video of the attack showed him lying on the ground and begging for mercy as he was shot in the head.

Bernard Maris was a journalist and shareholder in Charlie Hebdo

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12.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Al Qaeda 'Plotting New Massacre' In Britain

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor

Al Qaeda is plotting to massacre huge numbers of civilians in Britain and other western countries, the head of Mi5 has warned.

Andrew Parker, director general of the security service, told a select group mostly from the Royal United Services Institute at his London headquarters that while the so-called Islamic State is the newest threat to the West and that self-started lone wolf plots are hard to foil, al Qaeda still has ambitions for something more spectacular.

He said: "We know that terrorists based in Syria harbour... ambitions towards the UK - trying to direct attacks against our country, and exhorting extremists here to act independently."

But this was in addition to newly identified plans from al Qaeda to revisit their traditional style of operations.

He said: "…we still face more complex and ambitious plots that follow the now sadly well-established approach of al Qaeda and its imitators: attempts to cause large scale loss of life, often by attacking transport systems or iconic targets.

"We know, for example, that a group of core al Qaeda terrorists in Syria is planning mass casualty attacks against the West."

Al Qaeda experts are known to have moved from Pakistan to Syria, where they may be able to draw on British volunteers to conduct attacks in the UK. Their mission is entirely focussed on plots against the West.

They are known to be led by Muhsin al Fadhli, an expert bomb maker wanted by the FBI who has a $7m price on his head. He moved to Syria two years ago and was unsuccessfully targeted in a coalition air strike last year.

It is also known that British citizens are in the ranks of al Qaeda in Syria and could be used in a major atrocity back home.

The domestic spy chief spoke hours after UK's COBRA committee ordered a boost to national security.

Home Secretary Theresa May said: "Following the attacks we took the precautionary step yesterday of increasing security at the French-UK border.

"The UK threat level, which is set by the independent Joint Terrorism Advisory Centre, remains at severe; that means a terrorist attack is highly likely and the public should remain vigilant.

"This morning I chaired COBRA to consider Britain's response to the attacks and our own preparedness to a similar attack."

Extra police have already been deployed at British ports and stations serving the Eurostar.

Lone wolf plots aimed at the police and military have surged over the last year and these have combined with the Paris killings to cause unease among officers.

"It's a huge worry for us," said Sir Peter Fahy, chief constable of Greater Manchester Police.

"There is a particular increased threat to police officers at the moment and there have been a number of attacks foiled in differed parts of the country, but I can tell you that our officers are very concerned about it… they see what happened in France, and clearly we are an unarmed police force but it is the nature of that threat which is worrying but despite that our officers go out there and do their duty." 

Such concerns from front line police reflect similar fears in the intelligence community. Put simply - the world is getting more dangerous.


12.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

One Million Britons May Use Steroids Regularly

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 07 Januari 2015 | 12.27

By Paul Kelso, Sports Correspondent

Up to a million people in Britain could be illicitly using steroids on a regular basis, a Sky News investigation has found.

Police officers and children as young as 13 are among the rising number of people using steroids and other performance enhancing drugs. 

Interviews with drug workers, current and former users and academics reveal that steroid use has moved from the sub-culture of muscle gyms to the mainstream, with young men seeking a chemical shortcut to hone their physique.

The increase in the number of users has led to concerns about the long-term health risks of substances that promote muscle growth, but can cause organ damage and lead to psychological problems.

The use of injectable steroids also carries a risk of infection from blood-borne diseases, with steroid users who share needles vulnerable to HIV and hepatitis.

Public Health England (PHE) told Sky News more needs to be done to combat the issue.

"More does need to be done, this is a growing issue, there are significant health harms associated with steroids," said Peter Burkinshaw of PHE.

Drug workers across the UK report a huge rise in the number of steroid users taking advantage of needle exchange services, where they now outnumber all other drug users combined.

There are no nationwide statistics for the number of steroid users, but informed estimates based on the evidence of local drug services put the number possibly as high as one million.

Home Office figures relating to seizures bear out the evidence on the ground of a sharp rise in the number of young men turning to drugs to help them hone their physique.

Individual seizures of steroids and other PIEDs increased by 35% in 2014 compared to the previous year, while the total number of doses rose by 70%, up from 1.5 million doses to 2.5 million doses.

Drug workers in sites across England said that pressure to conform to a highly-defined body type was a factor in the increase, and said they were aware of children as young as 13 using the drugs.

"It's all to look good on a Friday night, and it is predominantly 15 to 25 year-olds," said Joseph Keane, who runs The Bridge drugs project in Bradford.

"I have had a 15 year-old injecting steroids straight into his chest, and I have heard anecdotally of guys as young as 13.

"That is the sort of pressure that is on them to look good from a young age."

At needle exchanges run by the Open Road project in Basildon, Essex, they are aware of police and forces staff who use the drugs.

"There are certain jobs that attract users, army, doormen, police," said Gill Hurford.

"They are people who feel they need to be fitting for the role. It could be anyone, it could be you.

"It's anyone who doesn't feel happy with the way they look."

A former police officer who used steroids, and left the force when he faced disciplinary charges, told Sky News he felt super-human when he was using the drugs.

"I'm a police officer and I look like a comic book hero, and I'm in a costume. Nine times out of 10 my sheer presence alone was enough to defuse a situation," he said.

"I will still say, and I won't regret saying this, it made me better at my job. That's why people take it. It's a performance enhancing substance."

His drug use came at a price to his health however.

"My liver was inflamed, that was as a result of taking oral steroids because your liver has to deal with the toxins.

"The left ventricle in my heart was enlarged... and my thyroid was on the verge of packing up."

Steroids are a Class C prohibited substance, meaning possession is not illegal, and up to £5,000 of the drugs can be imported without breaking the law.


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Urgent Summit Needed To Solve A&E 'Crisis'

An emergency summit is needed to find ways to ease the pressure on struggling A&E departments, Labour has said.

A number of hospital trusts have declared "major incidents" as they struggle to cope with the rising number of admissions in accident and emergency departments.

David Cameron has admitted the NHS is under pressure following the release of figures showing waiting times at A&E in England have hit their worst level in 10 years.

But he dismissed claims the service is on the brink of disaster.

The Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham has published a letter accusing his opposite number of failing to anticipate the current problems.

Reports of fire engines and police cars being increasingly used as ambulances raised "major patient and public safety concerns", Mr Burnham wrote.

"Patients are already being exposed to unacceptable levels of risk and the situation cannot be allowed to get any worse.

"Urgent action is needed to provide a coordinated response across Government from all public services."

Mr Burnham said the summit needed to include representatives from the police, fire and ambulance services as well as NHS professionals.

The latest figures on A&E waiting times showed just 92.6% of patients were treated within the four-hour time limit against a target of 95%.

The British Medical Association said the records showed the "unprecedented levels of pressure" on the health service and the Royal College of Nursing said the system was in "crisis".

But Mr Cameron said there was a "short-term pressure issue which we need to meet with resources and management".

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  1. Gallery: When Should You Go To A&E?

    Unresponsive - Loss of consciousness

Confusion - Acute confused state and fits that are not stopping

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