On the morning of 7 January 2015, at about 11:30 local time, two Islamist terrorists armed with assault rifles and other weapons forced their way into the offices of the French satirical weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris. They fired up to 50 shots, initially killing 11 people and injuring 11 others, and shouted “Allahu Akbar” (Arabic for “God is [the] greatest”) during their attack. A French National Police officer was the last to die as he encountered the gunman shortly after they had left the building. The gunmen identified themselves as belonging to Al-Qaeda’s branch in Yemen, which took responsibility for the attack. Several more attacks took place at related shootings that followed in the Île-de-France region after the Charlie Hebdo shooting, where five others had been killed and another eleven wounded, also by terrorists.
2015 Charlie Hebdo shooting
When did this happen? January 7, 2015
Where did this happen? Paris, France
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Quick Facts about 2015 Charlie Hebdo shooting
12 people
killed at Charlie Hebdo office
4 hostages
killed in supermarket
2
terrorists
2 million people
at Parris rally of national unity
2015 Charlie Hebdo shooting: What happened?
I was visiting in Athens, Greece when the shooting occurred. It was evident the next day that the security level was quickly upgraded in Athens. There were armed police everywhere and they were very active. I’d heard of Charlie Hebdo and knew that there were threats against them, but I didn’t think that something so severe would happen. It’s becoming clear that everyone has to really work together to make the world a safer place.
I was at work when this story broke.I was horrified and angry with the terrorists who committed such a shocking act. What about freedom of speech? What about live and let live? But honestly, though I still firmly believe that violence is never the answer to any problem, as I learned more about this event my sentiments began to sway. It seems Charlie Hebdo is not a very nice organization in their own right. They taunt and malign and generally make a mockery of certain religious beliefs and cultures, -not only Islam but Jews, blacks and others. And while I feel bad that people were killed, what did they expect? When you poke a bear with a stick and you can’t be surprised when he gets mad. I think both sides were at fault in this matter.
A friend called and told me to turn the TV on. I was staring at the TV in disbelief wondering what this world was coming to.