In pictures: Gun attack on French magazine
- Published
Gunmen have attacked the Paris office of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, in an apparent Islamist attack.
At least two masked attackers opened fire with assault rifles in the office and exchanged shots with police in the street outside before escaping by car.
Two of the 12 killed were police officers, and several of the wounded are in a critical condition.
A major police operation is under way in the Paris area to catch the killers. The number of gunmen was initially reported to be two, but French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve later said they were hunting three "criminals".
President Francois Hollande said there was no doubt it had been a terrorist attack "of exceptional barbarity".
Four of the magazine's well-known cartoonists, including its editor Stephane Charbonnier, were among those killed.
Mr Charbonnier, 47, had received death threats in the past and was living under police protection.
French media have named the three other cartoonists killed in the attack as Wolinski, Cabu and Tignous. Reports say the attack took place during the magazine's daily editorial meeting.
The satirical weekly has courted controversy in the past with its irreverent take on news and current affairs. It was firebombed in November 2011 a day after it carried a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad.
The attackers switched cars after fleeing the scene.
After the late morning attack, police warned French media outlets to be on alert and pay attention to security. The country was already on high alert for Islamist militant attacks after several incidents just before Christmas.