French police say they know who the three gunmen who shot and killed 12 people at the offices of the satirical weekly magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris early Wednesday.
Officials were quick to call the brazen and coordinated attack a terrorist attack Wednesday morning. The magazine is well-known for its cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad. Authorities said earlier that they do believe the gunmen knew that the editorial staff was holding a meeting at the time of the attack.
Paris Deputy Mayor Patrick Klugman told CNN that authorities do have the identities of the three men, but did not release their names. Two are brothers and all three are from a suburb outside Paris. Their ages are 34, 32 and 18.
“Parisians will not be afraid," Klugman told CNN. "We will fight terrorism with our common values, freedom, freedom of speech, freedom of the press. ... We are at war, but we still want to behave as a leading democracy."
According to the Washington Post, the Associated Press did report the suspects’ names, citing police officials. The brothers are Said Kouachi and Cherif Kouachi and the 18-year-old was identified as Hamyd Mourad.
The AP did report that Cherif Kouachi was previously convicted on terrorism charges in 2008.
Charlie Hebdo editor/cartoonist Stephanie Charbonnier was among those killed. Three other famed cartoonists were also killed. Eleven people were wounded, including four who are still listed in critical condition.
Twitter users have begun to show support for the magazine by tweeting #JeSuisCharlie. The magazine has faced controversy in the past and was even bombed in 2011 for making fun of Islamic law.
“It may sound pompous, but I'd rather die standing than live on my knees,” Charbonnier told Le Monde in 2012.
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