Search Continues for Charlie Hebdo Suspects

The iconic Eiffel Tower was plunged into darkness as
a mark of respect

       The search wears on, late through the night and into the early morning as authorities are attempting to use helicopters to track the suspects.  The current search area is a wooded area near Crepy-en-Valois, France.  Authorities claim sources viewed them entering the woods on foot.  The French government has deployed 80 000 personnel in an effort to locate and detain the duo.  The search is focused on the Picardy region of France where heavily armed officers roam.  The two suspects are Cherif Kouachi,32, and Said Kouachi, 34. A gas station attendant claims that the armed brothers threatened him near Villers-Cotterets in Picardy, stole fuel and food then drove off late Thursday morning.  Earlier Thursday, before the suspects reportedly stole from the gas station, a gunman dressed in black clothes resembling the Kouachi brothers shot and killed a female police officer in the Paris suburb of Montrouge.  Although it is largely probable, it has not been officially connected to the earlier slaying of 12 on Wednesday at the Satirical magazine's headquarters in Paris.  

       The utmost credit, however, must be given to the French Government.  I think that they have handled the case and managed their people very well.  They have portrayed the image that they are not afraid of the supposed terrorist and that they are ready to take on the suspects.  They have also put no limits on the strength that they have employed.  They are making sure that there is no possible way for these men to remain unconvicted by deploying over 80 000 officials.  These men are both in the US database of known or suspected international terrorists and one of the brothers (unspecified) had travelled to Yemen in 2005 to train with al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.  The Prime Minister, Manuel Valls has put both the Picardy and Ile-de-France regions on the highest alert level.  He has done all of this whilst managing to control and calm his people.  An ISIS radio broadcast on Thursday praised the attackers, even calling them "brave Jihadists".  However there was no claim of responsibility for the attack.  The French people have rallied together on Twitter creating the hashtag #JeSuisCharlie, in an attempt to commemorate those who were shot in the initial shooting.  Furthermore, the Eiffel Tower in Paris went dark at 8:00 PM in remembrance of the victims of the attack.

William Deo

Adapted from: http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/08/europe/charlie-hebdo-paris-shooting/index.html