Brothers Cherif (inset top left) and
Said
Kouachi (inset bottom left), who attacked & killed 12 people at
Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday Jan. 7th have been killed by French police in
a bloody standoff.
A third guy, Amedy Coulibaly (inset
right), who was working with the brothers and killed a female police
officer, was also killed by French police. Amedy is reported to have
killed four people at the kosher grocery
store (right) where he had been hiding with his girlfriend who was not
caught.
From UK Daily Mail
Amedy Coulibay was shot dead after taking at least six hostages at a
grocery store in east Paris. He is believed to be have been working
with his girlfriend Hayat Boumeddiene (right) who was said to be 'armed
and dangerous'
Three
jihadists were dead tonight after special forces brought an end to more
than two days of slaughter which have left at least 17 dead and spread
terror across France.
Said
and Cherif Kouachi, the brothers who had assassinated 12 people at
satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, died in a blaze of gunfire at a
printworks near Paris where they had been holed up with one hostage, who
survived.
Moments
later, dozens of commandos stormed a Jewish grocery 25 miles away in
east Paris where accomplice Amdey Coulibay was threatening to kill a
number of people including women and children.
The
32-year-old, responsible for the death of a woman police officer on
Thursday, was also ‘neutralised’ in the assault. Tragically, four
hostages were also killed while another five were badly wounded.
There were reports tonight that another gunman had escaped the scene
Coulibay
is thought to have been working with his 'armed and
dangerous' girlfriend Hayat Boumeddiene, whose whereabouts is unknown.
Gunfire
and explosions had been heard at the first hostage siege after police
had surrounded the gunmen at an industrial estate 25 miles from Paris.
The siege reached a bloody climax when the brothers reportedly 'came out firing' after a nine-hour stand-off.
They had earlier told police negotiators: 'We are ready to die as martyrs'.
At around 4.30pm, people living nearby reported hearing three or four loud explosions followed by several gunshots.
More explosions followed and smoke could be seen rising from the building. Others reported seeing ambulances race to the scene.
A short time later three French special forces officers could be seen on the roof of the building.
Then,
at around 5.30 pm, three large helicopters arrived at the scene and
landed on the roof. The hostage was named as Michel Catalano.
His
family were gathered at their detached home in the nearby village of
Othis as the siege came to a dramatic end in Dammartin-en-Goele.
Police
were last night stationed outside the property. One officer told
MailOnline: 'The family are all here. They have come to support Mrs
Catalano. They are all gathered together but they are too upset to
speak.'
Atlantis Farina, 17, who lives close to the scene was returning from high school shortly after 4pm when he heard explosions.
'The
ground here started shaking, that is what shocked me most,' he said.
'Then there was lots of what sounded like gunfire, it sounded like the
suspects were firing back at the police.
'There
was smoke too - like they had thrown a grenade. I am so glad it is
over, it bought panic to the area. My mum was very worried, and I was
quite scared too.'
Philippe
Lapotre, 63, was at his home across a field from the factory when he
heard the explosions followed by gun fire and came out to see.
'My
friends and family have been calling me all day to see if I was ok,' he
said. 'When I came out, three huge Puma helicopters came over.'
Carole
and Thierry Charpentier were at home when the siege ended. 'We have
been at home, just watching the television all day,' said Mrs
Charpentier.
'We are so very relieved it is over, and are glad the police have got the suspects and the hostage is free.
'We
would like the thank and praise the police and the special forces. But
we are angry too, that this had happened. We are angry at what horrible
things they have done'.
In
Paris, police say Coulibaly, 32, was using the hostages as a bargaining
chip to try to scupper the police response further north.
He was said
to be working with a woman called Hayat Boumeddiene, 26, considered
‘armed and dangerous’, and is said to have yelled at police: 'You know
who I am' when they responded to the shooting.
MailOnline
understands that police had earlier scrambled phone signals in the area
after the gunmen contacted Coulibay while inside the building.
Revelations
that a call was made by the Kouachis suggests they may have instructed
Coulibay to carry out today's atrocity to leverage their escape.
There
were reports of another alert near the Eiffel Tower, with police seen
training their guns down the stairs of a Metro station, but it was a
false alarm.
Local media reports that the brothers met Coulibay while in prison.
He
is believed to be a fellow member of the Buttes Chaumont – a gang from
the 19th arrondissement of Paris that sent jihadists to fight in Iraq.
The
Kouachis were cornered in Dammartin-en-Goele, around 25 miles from the
capital, this morning after leading police on a dramatic car chase.
After
exchanging gunfire with officers, they fled on foot into printing
works where they are holding a hostage, believed to be a 26-year-old
male.
A salesman
called Didier later told how he was supposed to meet a client called
Michel at the print works, but was instead met by one of the gunmen.
He
said he shook hands with the militant because he had identified himself
as a police officer and was carrying a Kalashnikov rifle.
He said: 'When I arrived, my client came out with an armed man who said he was from the police.
'My client told me to leave so I left,' Didier said, identifying the man he was to meet with as Michel.'
He said the black-clad man who was wearing a bullet-proof vest told him: 'Leave, we don't kill civilians anyhow'.
'That really struck me,' Didier added. 'So I decided to call the police. I guess it was one of the terrorists.
'It could have been a policeman if he hadn't told me "we don't kill civilians". They were heavily armed like elite police.'
'I
didn't know it was a hostage situation, or a robbery. I just knew
something wasn't quite right. I think I am going to go and see my
colleagues and play the lottery because I was very lucky this morning.'
Meanwhile, a worker in a nearby building told how he barricaded the doors as the hostage crisis unfolded.
He said: 'None of us feel safe. We can hear the helicopters. It is terrifying.'
One
of the pupils inside the Dammartin-en-Goele school said by phone from
inside: 'We're scared. We've called our parents to make sure they're
OK.
'We've been told we have to stay inside. All the lights have been switched off.'
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| A huge ball of fire erupts amid gunfire and explosions as French special forces shoot dead the two Charlie Hebdo gunmen |
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A man carrying a small child is
seen fleeing from the ordeal moments after police stormed the kosher
grocery store in eastern Paris
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The man is pictured in a second shot, carrying a small child in his arms while the kosher grocery remains illuminated behind him
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Explosions were seen at a second hostage siege in Paris where an accomplice was
threatening to kill captives if police stormed the Kouachis
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