A major manhunt was underway for suspected Al Qaeda militants who massacred 12 people at the offices of a notoriously anti-Islamist newspaper in Paris - including a police officer who was executed as he begged for mercy.
Masked attackers brandishing Kalashnikovs burst into the Charlie Hebdo headquarters, opening fire on staff after seeking out journalists by name in France's deadliest post-war terrorist.
Clad all in black with hoods and speaking flawless French, the militants forced one of the cartoonists - who was at the office with her young daughter - to open the door.
Witnesses said the gunmen were heard shouting 'we are from the Al Qaeda in Yemen', 'the Prophet has been avenged' and 'Allahu akbar!' – Arabic for 'God is great' – as they stalked the building.
They headed straight for the paper's editor and cartoonist, Stephane Charbonnier, killing him and his police bodyguard, who had been recruited to protect him after extremists firebombed the offices in 2011 over a satirical cartoon about the Prophet Mohammed.
A year later, Mr Charbonnier famously dismissed threats against his life, declaring: 'I would rather die standing than live kneeling.'
The militants also killed three other renowned cartoonists – men who had regularly satirised Islam – and the newspaper's deputy chief editor.
Despite a shoot-out with armed officers, the gunmen escaped in a hijacked car and remain on the loose this evening, leaving the French capital in virtual lockdown as police and soldiers flooded the streets to join the search.
President Barack Obama offered U.S. help in pursuing the gunmen, saying they had attacked freedom of expression.
But it also emerged that the White House had previously criticised Charlie Hebdo in 2012 over its Prophet Mohammed cartoon, saying the images would be 'deeply offensive to many and have the potential to be inflammatory.'
Meanwhile, horrific footage emerged showing an injured police officer slumped on the pavement as two gunmen approached him outside the office minutes later.
In an apparent desperate plea for his life, the officer is seen slowly raising his hand towards one of the attackers, who responds by callously shooting him in the head at point-blank range.
Despite a fierce firefight with police, the men were able to get away in a hijacked car, and, within an hour of the atrocity, appeared to have disappeared with trace.
France raised its security alert to the highest level and reinforced protective measures at houses of worship, stores, media offices and transportation.
The Queen today sent her 'sincere condolences to the families of those who have been killed' in the attack, while Prime Minister David Cameron described the murders as 'sickening'.
Schools closed across Paris, although thousands of people jammed Republique Square near the site of the shooting to honor the victims, holding aloft pens and papers reading 'Je suis Charlie' - 'I am Charlie.'
Social media users have responded to the Charlie Hebdo massacre with an outpouring of solidarity using the hashtag #jesuischarlie which is trending on Twitter.
By 4.15pm, nearly five hours after the attack, it had already been tweeted more than 250,000 times, according to one social analytics website.
Guy Verhofstadt, the President of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe tweeted: 'A tragic day for the freedom of speech #jesuischarlie.'
Marches have been organised through Paris and London at 7pm (6pm GMT) in support of journalistic freedom.
As well as the AK47 assault rifles, there were also reports of a rocket-propelled grenade being used in the attack, which took place during the publication's weekly editorial meeting at around 12pm (11pm GMT), meaning all the journalists would have been present.
A young mother and cartoonist who survived the massacre told how she had let the suspected Al Qaeda killers into the office.
Corrine Rey said she had returned from picking up her young daughter from a kindergarten when she was confronted by two heavily armed men wearing balaclavas.
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'They said they wanted to go up to the offices, so I tapped in the code,' said Ms Rey, referring to the digi-code security system on the interphone.
Ms Rey and her daughter hid under a desk, from where they saw two other cartoonists being executed. 'They shot Wolinski and Cabu,' she said. 'It lasted five minutes. I had taken refuge under a desk.' Ms Rey said the men 'spoke French perfectly' and 'claimed they were 'Al Qaeda terrorists'.
Gunmen reportedly told another witness: 'You say to the media, it was Al Qaeda in Yemen.'
They are said to have sought out staff 'by name', according to a police source, adding that Charbonnier, known as Charb, a cartoonist responsible for an anti-Islam front page, was among those killed.
Mr Charbonnier was included in a 2013 Wanted Dead or Alive for Crimes Against Islam article published by Inspire, the terrorist propaganda magazine published by Al Qaeda.
The latest tweet published by the newspaper's official Twitter account earlier in the day featured a cartoon of Abu Baghdadi, the leader of Islamic State, who wishes everyone 'good health'.
DailyMail
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