A number of leading European papers have published a joint statement condemning the killings in Paris as an attack, not just on freedom of the press and of opinion, but on "the fundamental values of our democratic European societies". The statement was issued by France's Le Monde, Spain's El Pais, the UK's The Guardian, Germany's Süddeutsche Zeitung, Italy's La Stampa and Poland's Gazeta Wyborcza, BBC Monitoring reports.

Regarding the moment of reflection which UK police forces will take part in at 10:30 GMT, Sir Peter Fahy, the vice president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, says: "All members of the British police forces are shocked at the savagery of this attack. In any democratic society it is the role of the police to protect basic human rights and our two French colleagues died protecting free speech. They knew the risks they were facing in carrying out their duty and clearly showed great bravery in trying to prevent the terrorists murdering others."

Frank Gardner
BBC security correspondent

One of the two Paris policemen killed by Islamist gunmen on Thursday has been named as Ahmed Mourabet, a Muslim, believed to be of Moroccan origin.

Police in the UK will be pausing at 10:30 GMT to pay respects to the victims of the Charlie Hebdo killings, the BBC has been told.

Police have been searching an address in Reims, north-east of Paris, thought to be linked to an 18-year-old named as a suspect, the BBC's Damian Grammaticas tweets. Hamyd Mourad has handed himself into police.

There has been an explosion of "criminal" origin at a kebab shop adjoining a mosque in Villefranche-sur-Saone, near Lyon, AFP reports. There is currently no known link between this explosion and the attack on Charlie Hebdo.

@Nerzoo in Cairo, Egypt tweets, external: Why shud some silly cartoons be worth the rage. Let them draw what they want and lets show the world that we are the opposite #CharlieHebdo

Image source, Getty Images

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve walks at the site of the shooting in Montrouge, south of Paris.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, who announced earlier that several arrests had made, says: "I see there's a lot of information in the media, on the internet. This must not harm the investigation. I'm asking people to act responsibly. It's up to the investigators, the police, the gendarmerie, the justice system to carry out the investigation professionally, as quickly as possible, to apprehend these individuals, those who have carried out this abominable attack."

Image source, AP

Alan Black emails: It is all very well that prominent Muslims are queuing up to condemn the events of yesterday. However, it is easy to find common ground on our revulsion to such barbaric acts. What we need is for more Muslim spokespersons to also step up and defend the fundamental western democratic principle of freedom of speech including the freedom to criticise all and any religions and the freedom to satirise and laugh at them. Until this principle is widely accepted by the majority of the Muslim community then we are bound to give any of their statements on this event only a qualified welcome.

Danish newspaper Berlingske has republished a gallery of controversial cartoons from the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, external, as part of its coverage of Wednesday's attack in Paris. Berlingske's editor-in-chief, Lisbeth Knudsen, says her newspaper's action in republishing the cartoons is not a protest, but rather " documentation of what kind of a magazine it was that has been hit by this terrible event".

A picture from the scene of the shooting where a police officer and a city employee are said to have been injured.

France's top security official, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, says two people, including a police officer, have been gravely wounded in the shooting on the southern edge of Paris. He says authorities are doing their utmost to identify and arrest the attacker, and cautions against jumping to conclusions.

French newspapers this morning. Sports title L'Equipe reads "Liberty 0 - Barbarity 12", in reference to the number of dead.

Image source, AFP

Mark Studden emails: Haran, you're completely wrong about ridiculing religion. We must be allowed to ridicule anything and anyone. That's what freedom of speech means; once you constrain my freedom to say what the heck I like you have removed my freedom of speech. Anyone is free to feel offended. Anyone should be free to say anything that might offend. Being offended is not important, it's just taking a point of view. You cannot expect to limit my freedom of expression such that I cannot say or write anything that might not agree with someone else's point of view.

Shaypaul emails: Freedom of speech is "Freedom of Speech" and suggesting "We have to respect all religions" and cannot criticise them is totally unacceptable. The implication that we do not respect Islam is ridiculous - have you ever watched Monty Python's "Life of Brian?" What would happen if there was an equivalent of that for the prophet Muhammad? This is the type of ambivalence that leads to idiotic bigots behaving with such barbarism. People need to get real. Je suis Charlie.

Satirical magazine the Onion's response to the attack, external is an article headlined "It is Sadly Unclear Whether This Article Will Put Lives At Risk". It reads: "According to totally and utterly depressing early reports, given the tragic deaths of 12 people, it is impossible to say with absolute certainty that this 500-word article will not make those involved in its writing - and potentially even those not involved - the targets of brutal and unconscionable violence."

Wendy Sindall emails: In reply to Haran, you cannot expect intelligent people worldwide to mindlessly respect every religion, or anything else. As long as they do not incite violence or religious hatred with their comments, then religions and the people who practice them have to expect comments which they may not always like or agree with.

Interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve says the man who shot police in the south of Paris is on the run, AFP reports.

Gavin Hewitt
Europe editor

says that initially police were saying the shooting in southern Paris was not related to the killings at Charlie Hebdo, but speaking from the scene he says he has the impression police may think it "might be connected in some way".