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.