08:06 GMT - Confirms - Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve confirms seven people are being held and are currently being questioned
(from L up) French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo's deputy chief editor Bernard Maris and cartoonists Georges Wolinski, Jean Cabut, aka Cabu, Charb, Tignous and Honore (Philippe Honore)
07:46 GMT - Questioning - A judicial source says the seven detained include both men and women close to the two brothers and they are being held for questioning. The source did not say where they are being held.
07:21 GMT - seven held - FRANCE'S INTERIOR MINISTER SAYS 7 HAVE BEEN HELD
07:01 GMT - Followed - Prime Minister Manuel Valls tells RTL radio "several were held overnight," adding the two suspects -- who have not yet been found -- were known to intelligence services and were "no doubt" being followed before the attack
06:57 GMT - several detained - SEVERAL DETAINED IN HUNT FOR KILLERS:PM
05:24 GMT - Media support - Most media is showing support for the magazine in their editorials. Here are a few of the comments:
Flemming Rose, the Danish editor at Jyllands-Posten who triggered global protests in 2005 by publishing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, says "Charlie Hebdo didn't shut up... and they have now paid the highest price for that."
Gonzalo Boye, the editor of Spanish monthly Mongolia, which retweeted one of the newspaper's Mohammed cartoons says "Today we are all #CharlieHebdo and we back freedom of expression."
The Instagram account attributed to mysterious British graffiti artist Banksy bore a cartoon of a pencil under the word "yesterday", the same pencil snapped in two under "today" and a third with the stub of the pencil once again sharpened under the line "tomorrow".
France's daily Liberation is running the headline 'We are all Charlie," Le Parisien is going with "They will not kill liberty" while Les Echos calls for people to face up to "barbarism".
Britain's press is calling for a measured response, fearing the rise of Islamophobia and the far right, with the Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph both running with the frontpage headline "The War on Freedom."
The Times defends the right to criticise Islamists, but warns President Francois Hollande he may find himself under pressure from the far right to "fight fire with fire".
The Sydney Morning Herald's executive editor of photography and presentation, Matt Martel, says the paper has decided against running a cartoon showing the prophet Mohammed in response.
"We shouldn't be scared into self-censorship, but neither should we use it as an excuse to incite or vilify."
One of the few to criticise is the Financial Times which ran an opinion piece online by its European editor Tony Barber, which accused the magazine of "editorial foolishness" and said it had "just been stupid" to provoke Muslims with controversial cartoons.
The FT has since removed the two phrases from the online piece, due to appear in Thursday's print edition, but the piece is still critical of the newspaper, saying: "It is merely to say that some common sense would be useful at publications such as Charlie Hebdo, and Denmark's Jyllands-Posten, which purport to strike a blow for freedom when they provoke Muslims."
05:19 GMT - Cartoonists react - Cartoonists and writers from around the world have been reacting as they do best, by putting pen to paper.
Among the cartoons that have gone viral online is one by Australian newspaper cartoonist David Pope @davpope: a picture of a gunman with a smoking rifle standing over a body, bearing the caption "He drew first."
Pope says the attack "hit a nerve".
"Ultimately people who carry out these attacks can't defeat ideas through these means and they won't succeed.
"Our task is to keep doing what we do… focus our satire on those in power and those who seek to wield power in ugly ways like these gunmen and be part of a movement that promotes social solidarity, a free and open and tolerant society."
South African cartoonist Zapiro says he hopes the attack "doesn't have a further chilling effect on satirists, commentators and journalists; any free thinkers in society."
"But I'm afraid that scenario is probably inevitable."
- Support -
04:44 GMT - Rallies across Americas - Despite frigid weather in some places, rallies have been going on across the Americas with hundreds turning out in Washington, New York and Canada proclaiming "I am Charlie."
Those in Washington were joined by International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde, of France, who told the media "We are all still in shock."
Against a wind chill of minus four degrees Fahrenheit (minus 20 Celsius), several hundred gathered in New York's Union Square to denounce the attack, singing the La Marseillaise and chanting "Charlie, Charlie."
Over 1,000 people rallied in Montreal and in Ottawa and Quebec City, where temperatures plunged to minus 40 Fahrenheit (Celsius) in the evening, hundreds more held vigils outside French missions.
In Quebec City Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney placed a dozen white roses in the snow outside France's consulate.
Cartoonists across Latin America including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Ecuador, condemned the episode and created drawings to commemorate the grim attack.
Argentine cartoonist Liniers turned to Twitter, posting a picture in which one person explains to another: "The thing I'm fanatical about is not being a fanatic."
03:44 GMT - Summary of events - For those just joining us here is a summary of events:
French police have launched a massive manhunt and published photos of two brothers Cherif Kouachi, 32 and Said Kouachi, 34, wanted as suspects over the bloody massacre, describing them as "likely armed and dangerous."
Search-and-seizure operations took place in Strasbourg and towns near Paris, while in Reims police commandos carried out a raid on a building later scoured by white-clad forensic police.
An 18-year-old suspected of being an accomplice in the attack was taken into custody after surrendering to police in a small town in the same region as Reims.
A source close to the case said Hamyd Mourad surrendered after "seeing his name circulating on social media".
The attack triggered an international outpouring of solidarity, with demonstrations spreading from Moscow to Washington.
More than 100,000 people took to the streets across France to express their outrage, many carrying banners reading: "I am Charlie" while the hashtag #JeSuisCharlie was trending worldwide.
President Francois Hollande called the massacre -- thought to be the worst attack on French soil since 1961 -- "an act of exceptional barbarity" and "undoubtedly a terrorist attack".
"Nothing can divide us, nothing should separate us. Freedom will always be stronger than barbarity," said the president.
Flags were to fly at half-mast Thursday as Hollande declared a day of national mourning -- only the fifth of the past 50 years.
US President Barack Obama led the global condemnation of what he called a "cowardly, evil" assault. Pope Francis described it as a "horrible attack" saying such violence, "whatever the motivation, is abominable, it is never justified".
British Prime Minister David Cameron called the attack "sickening" while Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Arab League were among those condemning the violence.
Iran condemned the killings but reiterated its criticism of the weekly's 2006 publication of cartoons of Mohammed.
The attack saw the gunmen storm the offices of Charlie Hebdo in broad daylight as journalists gathered for a morning editorial conference, killing eight journalists, and four other people including a policeman shot in cold blood as he lay wounded on the pavement.
Prosecutors said 11 people were also wounded in the attack, with four in critical condition.
02:14 GMT - Suspects' photos released - French police have released pictures of the brothers wanted over magazine massacre
- Arrest warrants issued -
01:49 GMT - 'armed and dangerous' - Paris police say arrest warrants had been issued for Cherif Kouachi, 32 and his 34-year-old brother Said who are "likely armed and dangerous"
01:16 GMT - Suspect surrenders - The youngest of the three suspects being hunted in the Paris attack has surrendered to police, sources say.
01:15 GMT - Hollywood support - Hollywood is voiving its solidarity with Charlie Hebdo, with some linking the attack on the magazine to the recent freedom-of-speech controversy over the comedy film about North Korea "The Interview".
"We are shocked and saddened by the horrific terrorist attack at Charlie Hebdo that occurred today," said the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) head Chris Dodd in a statement.
"Our industry has experienced firsthand cowardly attempts (to destroy) freedom of speech, and we offer our expression of support to the victims and their families, as well as the French people."
00:16 GMT - Police hunt for suspects - French police are hunting three men, including two brothers, suspected of carrying out the attack on satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo that left 12 dead in Paris, a source close to the investigation tells AFP.
Police are searching for two brothers in their thirties, including one who was sent to prison in 2008 for participating in jihadist networks attempting to send fighters to Iraq. The third suspect is aged 18,the source adds.
23:59 GMT - THREE MEN INCLUDING TWO BROTHERS IDENTIFIED IN FRANCE MAGAZINE ATTACK: SOURCE
22:50 GMT - Raid underway in Reims - A raid by France's elite anti-terrorist unit is under way late Wednesday in the northeastern city of Reims as part of the hunt for the gunmen who attacked the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo.
Either the suspects will be able to escape, or "there will be a showdown", said a member of the unit, urging journalists at the scene to remain "vigilant".
22:30 GMT - FRANCE ANTI-TERROR RAID UNDER WAY IN REIMS: POLICE
- Authorities search for suspects -
20:17 GMT - Dublin demo - In another display of solidarity, dozens of Ireland's French community have gathered in Dublin's O'Connell Street. Some are holding "Je suis Charlie" posters and "Charlie" is spelt out in candles, echoing scenes in Paris.
"What happened in France today was outrageous, and all of us French people are very affected by it," says Juliet Pigeaud-Fabre, who is studying in Dublin. "I am studying journalism so it's kind of freaky what happened and I know people affected by the tragedy."
"I'm French and I feel like someone just punched me in the face and I feel this is going to trigger a load of violence. It's crazy and it's horrible," says Louis, 18. "It's not just a French problem. It's a global issue and it's something we will all have to deal with."
19:56 GMT - Obama pledges support - US President Barack Obama has condemned the "cowardly, evil" assault and pledged US assistance to Paris to bring the attackers to justice. Speaking from the Oval Office he said: "France is one of our oldest allies, our strongest allies.
"For us to see the kind of cowardly, evil attacks that took place today, I think, reinforces once again why it's so important for us to stand in solidarity with them, just as they stand in solidarity with us.
"The fact that this was an attack on journalists, attack on our free press, also underscores the degree to which these terrorists fear freedom -- of speech and freedom of the press," he added.
- "Cowardly, evil" assault -
19:51 GMT - 100,000 rally - As night falls in France, more than 100,000 people are gathered in cities around the country to pay tribute to the victims of the Charlie Hebdo attack and defend free speech.
In Paris 35,000 are gathered at Place de la Republique, not far from where the attack took place, police say. Officials in cities such as Marseille, Toulouse and Lyon are also reporting thousands gathering in public spaces on a dark day for the country.
19:48 GMT - 'Suffering together' - Demonstrator Coline Fillonneau tells AFPTV: "I think it's important for everyone. It's France which suffered today, but it's not just us, it's the whole world. I think everyone in France was attacked today. It's about liberty, it's important for every Frenchman so it's important for the whole world."
Another, Arnaud Baecher, says: "It's important that the people who did this see that we express ourselves, we even laugh, and cry. We are all here together and this won't stop us."
19:45 GMT - 'Not afraid' - Crowds in the square are chanting "We are not afraid, Charlie" while some have come with big luminous letters that read "N.O.T A.F.R.A.I.D"
Others chant "Charlie brotherhood" as huge black and white portraits of Cabu and Tignous, two of the victims of the attack, are displayed by protesters.
19:35 GMT - Muslim protester - Back at the Place de la Republique in Paris, Chiheb Bouanene, a Tunisian painter from Champigny (Val de Marne) , holds a placard reading: "I am Muslim, I am Charlie Hebdo".
"Or course, freedom of the press should come before all else. I jumped in my car and I came immediately with my three friends. I read Charlie from time to time. I often don't agree with them, but freedom of the press comes before all else."
19:35 GMT - MORE THAN 100,000 RALLY ACROSS FRANCE AFTER ATTACK
- Huge protests -
19:24 GMT - London demo - In solidarity with demonstrators in France, crowds have gathered in London's Trafalgar Square, many of them carrying placards bearing the slogan "je suis Charlie" which has flooded social media sites during the day in response to the attack.
AFP reporter Edouard Guihaire says several hundred people are assembled, faces sombre, many of them French.
"I heard the news this morning. Like everyone, I was deeply affected by it," says Frenchman Nabil Nadifi, 29, who has been living in the British capital for a few months.
19:19 GMT - Day of mourning - More on the announcement from Hollande that Thursday will be a day of mourning: speaking in a televised address he says flags will fly at half-mast across the country for three days.
"Unity is our best weapon.... Freedom will always be stronger than barbarity," he tells the nation.
19:04 GMT - HOLLANDE SAYS THURSDAY TO BE DAY OF MOURNING IN FRANCE AFTER ATTACK
18:50 GMT - 'Charlie must not die' - As well as a huge demonstration at the Place de la Republique in Paris, around 2,500 people are gathered at the Place d'Armes in Metz, northeastern France, reports AFP's Jean-Luc Chandelier.
Jean Lambert, of local LGBT (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) association Gay Colours, struggles to hold back tears as he tells AFP: "We had regular contact with Charlie Hebdo, they always supported us."
Wearing a T-shirt with the names of the magazine staff killed in the attack, he adds: "They were part of my politics, with their insolence, their freedom. It's a limb that has been torn from me. Charlie must not die."
18:50 GMT - Pope reacts - Pope Francis has strongly condemned the "horrible attack" on the French magazine. Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi says: "The Holy Father expresses the strongest condemnation for the horrible attack that plunged the city of Paris into mourning."
18:42 GMT - Saudi 'sorrow' - Saudi Arabia, the home of Islam's holiest sites, says the killings in France are incompatible with the Muslim religion.
"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has followed with deep sorrow the terrorist attack" at the Charlie Hebdo magazine, the state Saudi Press Agency says, citing an unnamed official source.
It said the source condemned "this cowardly terrorist attack which is incompatible with Islam".
18:33 GMT - 'Republic in danger' - Adrien Tiberti, of the PCF (French Communist Party), among the demonstrators in the central Paris square, tells AFP: "We are here because the Republic is in danger.... It is extremely serious... This has been a real blow. Coming together is a way of overcoming that."
Fellow PCF member Isabelle Charpentier adds: "If we must demonstrate every day, we will demonstrate every day. No one deserves to die for his ideas."
- Defiant message -
18:21 GMT - Crowds in the Place de la Republic chant "Charlie, Charlie, Charlie" and vocalise the slogans seen on banners defending "freedom of speech, freedom of thought", says AFP's Rebecca Frasquet. There are also renditions of the French national anthem, La Marseillaise.
18:12 GMT - Charb - Charbonnier, also known as Charb, took over the running of Charlie Hebdo in 2009 after joining its staff in 1992. His irreverent caricatures of politicians and other figures mostly appeared in the publication, but also popped up in many other left-wing outlets and outright comics.
He had been living under police protection after receiving death threats for Charlie Hebdo's run of a Mohammed cartoon in 2011, which also saw the newspaper firebombed and its website hacked.
18:09 GMT - Free speech - Many people are waving placards, some bearing a quote by Stephane Charbonnier -- the editor of Charlie Hebdo killed in the attack -- which has been much repeated during the day on social media: "I prefer to die standing than live on my knees"
Other banners hail "freedom of expression" and "freedom of thought".
18:01 GMT - Place de la Republique - Huge crowds of people are gathered at Place de la Republique in central Paris. AFP reporters estimate the numbers at more than 10,000.
"There are delegations from the CGT, Unsa, and Solidaire unions and the PCF (French communist party) Some old, some young, a huge melting pot," says AFP's Stephane Jourdain.
- Protests across France -
17:53 GMT - THOUSANDS JOIN RALLIES IN FRANCE TO PAY TRIBUTE TO PARIS ATTACK VICTIMS
17:50 GMT - Car hijacking - Earlier we reported that the gunmen fled in a black Citroen car. They later abandoned this car at Porte de Pantin in eastern Paris, before hijacking another car and fleeing towards the north of the capital, where authorities lost the trail.
17:40 GMT - Round-up - For anyone just joining us, here is a brief summary of today's dramatic events in Paris where 12 people were killed in a gun attack on a satirical magazine.
-- Heavily armed gunmen stormed the offices of Charlie Hebdo, a publication that has outraged Muslims with controversial cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed at around 11:20 am local time.
-- Attackers opened fire with assault rifles on staff gathered for an editorial meeting. Among those killed were three cartoonists and the chief editor as well as a police officer.
-- A second police officer was shot dead as masked attackers fired at police in the street before fleeing by car. Police said witnesses heard the gunmen shout "we have avenged the prophet" and "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest).
-- France's Interior Minister said security services were hunting three "criminals". President Francois Hollande, who immediately rushed to the scene, branded the attack "an act of exceptional barbarism" as world leaders united in condemnation.
17:21 GMT - TWELVE DEAD, 11 INJURED IN PARIS ATTACK: PROSECUTOR
17:12 GMT - Residents 'traumatised' - Residents living in the area surrounding the Charlie Hebdo offices are reeling from the shock of today's deadly raid. The road where the attack happened is lined with apartment buildings and a short walk from major boulevards -- where tourists and Parisians had been flocking for the first day of the winter sales when panic broke out.
One onlooker, Annick, peered through the second floor window of her workplace to see what was going on. She says: "I saw panicked police and I thought, that's it, something is happening. I saw the gangsters leave towards the Bastille in a black car. I saw them shooting, they had a long gun, I saw the fire and the smoke. I never would have thought I would see that.... It is atrocious, it is traumatising, it is dramatic."
17:02 GMT - Italy threats - Italy has called a meeting of its "anti-terrorism" committee to examine possible threats following events in Paris.
The Strategic Anti-terrorism Analysis Committee, "made up of experts in anti-terrorism from the police force and intelligence services, will closely examine the terrorist threat in light of the grave attack," the interior ministry says in a statement.
16:56 GMT - Trained in Syria? - The gunmen held their Kalashnikov rifles close to their bodies, firing off shot by shot instead of a burst of gunfire, suggesting they knew how to use the weapon, the former bodyguard notes. He adds: "The most striking thing is their cold-bloodedness. They were trained in Syria, in Iraq or elsewhere. Maybe even in France but one thing is sure: they were trained."
He says the killers were also undeterred by their initial failure to find their target, first stopping at the wrong address: "They didn't lose it and start firing. They kept on to the headquarters of Charlie Hebdo."
16:48 GMT - 'Skilled operators' - The calm, cold determination and deadly efficiency of the gunmen has led police to believe they received military-style training.
Images of the assault taken on cellphones show a carefully planned and professional operation, says a former bodyguard and policeman, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"It is obvious from the way they hold their guns and proceed calmly, coldly. They certainly received some kind of military training," says another police officer. "They weren't acting on the spur of the moment."
- Military-style training -
16:40 GMT - Queen's message - Britain's Queen Elizabeth II sends a written message of condolence to French President Hollande. She says: "Prince Philip and I send our sincere condolences to the families of those who have been killed and to those who have been injured in the attack in Paris this morning. We send our thoughts and prayers to all those who have been affected."
16:38 GMT - Demo - AFP's Boris Cambreleng is at the Place de la Republique where media unions have called members to gather for a minute's silence.
A placard carried by one of the demonstrators reads: "The world has become so sick if even comedy is a risky profession".
16:35 GMT - Eyewitness - Arnaud Gancel, who works in a road near the Charlie Hebdo building says he is "overwhelmed and sad". "We heard loud booms in the street... we went to the window and saw the guys head towards Boulevard Richard-Lenoir. We saw the exchange of fire with the police. They got out (of the car) and sprayed bullets in front of the police car..."
"There was a moment of silence and one of our colleagues heard a guy shout 'we have avenged the prophet'. It was then that we thought of Charlie Hebdo. There were more gunshots in the street, then nothing. Everyone was looking out of their windows but didn't dare go out."
16:28 GMT - AFP staff statement - A statement from the staff of AFP calls Wednesday's deadly assault "an attack on democracy".
"We voice our complete solidarity with Charlie Hebdo and hope our fellow journalists at the publication will be able to continue doing their job," it says.
16:25 GMT - More from Rushdie - Rushdie adds in a statement: "This religious totalitarianism has caused a deadly mutation in the heart of Islam and we see the tragic consequences in Paris today.
"I stand with Charlie Hebdo, as we all must, to defend the art of satire, which has always been a force for liberty and against tyranny, dishonesty and stupidity."
16:19 GMT - Rushdie speaks out - British novelist Salman Rushdie has issued a statement saying: "Religion, a medieval form of unreason, when combined with modern weaponry becomes a real threat to our freedoms."
Rushdie in 1989 became the target of an Iranian fatwa, or religious edict, calling for his murder for allegedly blaspheming Islam and the Prophet Mohammed in his book "The Satanic Verses".
- Rushdie defends satire -
16:14 GMT - Spanish solidarity - A Spanish satirical magazine retweeted a Charlie Hebdo cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed in solidarity with the French weekly after Wednesday's attack.
"Today we are all #CharlieHebdo and we back freedom of expression," the editor of Spanish monthly Mongolia, Gonzalo Boye, said on his Twitter account.
He accompanied the message with an image by a French cartoonist known as Cabu, who was killed in the attack, which depicts the prophet with his head in his hands below the caption "Mohammed Overwhelmed by Fundamentalists".
16:03 GMT - UN condemnation - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemns the "horrendous" attack on Charlie Hebdo, branding it an assault on the media and freedom of expression.
"It was a horrendous, unjustifiable and cold-blooded crime. It was also a direct assault on a cornerstone of democracy, on the media and on freedom of expression," Ban said.
16:02 GMT - Crime scene - The security perimeter has been widened in the roads surrounding the crime scene, with police coming and going from No 10 Nicolas Appert, where the attack happened, AFP's Marie Giffard tells us. Officers are surveying the area from the balcony of an apartment that looks out directly onto the building.
"A man approached the security cordon and asked a journalist "was it there?", pointing to the entrance to Charlie Hebdo," says Giffard. "When the journalist asked if he knew the victims well, he nodded and broke down in tears."
15:45 GMT - Potential attackers - Alisa Lockwood, Head of Europe Analysis at IHS Country Risk, says the risk of Islamist attacks has increased since France joined the US-led international alliance against the Islamic State group in September 2014.
"It is too early to make a firm attribution with regards to the perpetrators of the attack, and there has been no claim of responsibility as yet. However, the range of potential actors is limited," says Lockwood.
She adds: "Islamic State has explicitly threatened to attack French citizens and Al-Qaeda may also have the motivation. Eyewitness reports have claimed that the attackers identified themselves as members of 'Al-Qaeda in Yemen' -- a seeming reference to Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) -- although this could not be independently verified at the time of writing."
15:43 GMT - Gunmen escape - Police were immediately deployed to the scene after the office shootings. Two attackers fled shouting "Allahu Akbar" and found themselves face to face with a patrol of police officers.
An intense exchange of gunfire followed in which a second police officer was shot dead. The gunmen then managed to escape in a black Citroen C3 car. The gunmen are still at large with a massive manhunt under way.
- "Allahu Akbar" -
15:25 GMT - 'Cold killing' - Once in the building, the gunmen fired at a receptionist before heading to the second floor where Charlie Hebdo is edited. "Two men opened fire and coldly killed the people assembled for an editorial conference as well as the police officer charged with protecting editor Charb, who did not have time to retaliate", a police source tells AFP.
15:20 GMT - Wrong address - More details are emerging of exactly what happened earlier. At 11:20 am two men dressed in black and each armed with a Kalashnikov arrived at 6, Nicolas-Appert where the Charlie Hebdo archives are kept.
They shouted: "Is this Charlie Hebdo?" Seeing that they were at the wrong address, they headed to number 10 on the same road where the main offices of the magazine are located.
15:11 GMT - Israeli reaction - Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman says his country "identifies with France's pain". He adds: "Terror and terrorists must never be permitted to sow fear in the free world and the West must stand united and determined in the face of this danger."
14:59 GMT - Spanish alert - In neighbouring Spain, media group Prisa, publisher of the country's most widely read newspaper El Pais, says it has evacuated its Madrid headquarters after receiving a suspect package.
Police ordered the evacuation after a man delivered the package containing cables around two hours after the assault in Paris, El Pais's communications director Pedro Zuazua tells AFP.
- Spain evacuation -
14:56 GMT - Minute's silence - Several unions have called for members to gather today at the Place de la Republique, near the scene of the attack in central Paris, for a minute's silence at 5:00 pm local time.
"The fact that it was Charlie Hebdo that was targeted is an important symbol. It is freedom of expression that is being assassinated," says a spokesman for the Syndicat National des Journalistes (SNJ).
14:45 GMT - Witness account - One man who witnessed the shooting says he saw two attackers shooting their way out of Charlie Hebdo at around 11:30 am (1030 GMT).
"I saw them leaving and shooting. They were wearing masks. These guys were serious," he says, declining to give his name.
"At first I thought it was special forces chasing drug traffickers or something. We weren't expecting this. You would think we were in a movie."
14:40 GMT - Demonstration - Close to the crime scene in Paris, on the edge of the security barrier set up by police, around a dozen journalism students have gathered holding placards reading "Je suis Charlie" (I am Charlie) and "Journalism students united".
"It's a magazine which is really outspoken, has a great independence. Freedom is the very essence of journalism. We are preparing to become journalists and it's unacceptable to see this in France, " says student Clivia Potot-Delmas.
14:37 GMT - Target - "There have been constant threats since the Mohammed caricatures were published," Richard Malka, Charlie Hebdo's lawyer, tells RTL radio.
"We've lived under the threats for eight years. There was protection. But there is nothing that could be done against savages who come with Kalashnikovs."
In 2006, Charlie Hebdo became a major target for Islamists when it reprinted 12 cartoons of Mohammed published by the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten in a statement for freedom of expression. The cartoons, including one which showed a bomb in place of a turban, prompted violent protests in Muslim countries.
- Years of threat -
14:36 GMT - Background - Charlie Hebdo started in 1970, taking inspiration for its name from the American comic book character Charlie Brown and with the aim of mocking celebrities, political leaders and religions. It never changed course, even as the threats piled up.
14:34 GMT - Three attackers - French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve says three attackers were involved in the assault on the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo that left 12 people dead.
Everything is being done to "neutralise as quickly as possible the three criminals that committed this barbaric act," says Cazeneuve.
14:33 GMT - Confrontation - Wednesday's massacre at French weekly Charlie Hebdo took place after years of confrontation between the satirical publication and Islamists infuriated by what they see as its attacks on their religion.
Its offices were firebombed in November 2011 when it published caricatures of the Muslim Prophet Mohammed but there were no casualties in that attack.
14:30 GMT - Muslim leaders - The Arab League and Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam's most prestigious centre of learning, both also condemned the shootings.
"Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi strongly condemns the terrorist attack on Charlie Hebdo newspaper in Paris," the Arab League said in a statement.
Al-Azhar condemned the "criminal attack," saying that "Islam denounces any violence".
14:26 GMT - Obama response - US President Barack Obama condemns the Paris "terrorist attack" and pledges assistance. He says: "We are in touch with French officials and I have directed my administration to provide any assistance needed to help bring these terrorists to justice."
- Obama offers US help -
14:20 GMT - FRENCH INTERIOR MINISTER SAYS 'THREE CRIMINALS' INVOLVED IN ATTACKS
14:19 GMT - Danish measures - The Danish newspaper that caused a global stir with a series of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed has stepped up security after the French attack, a report says. Jyllands-Posten informed its staff by email about the unspecified security measures, the Danish paper Berlingske says on its website.
"Surveillance and the level of security in and around our headquarters in Copenhagen and in (the west Danish city of) Viby has been increased," Berlingske quoted the email as saying. "We are following closely the situation in connection with the attack on Charlie Hebdo in Paris earlier today."
14:17 GMT - Latest issue - The front page of the latest issue of the weekly featured controversial French author Michel Houellebecq and his latest book, "Soumission" ("Submission"), which imagines a France in 2022 under Muslim rule.
The weekly publication, which seeks to provoke, amuse and inform mostly through irreverent cartoons, was under police protection when Wednesday's assault happened because of the constant threat it was working under. Two policemen were among those killed.
14:12 GMT - OBAMA CONDEMNS 'TERRORIST ATTACK' ON FRENCH NEWSPAPER
14:06 GMT - Turkey condemnation - Turkish culture and tourism minister Omer Celik says the Paris attack will only serve to deepen religious tensions in Europe.
"I reject any equation of Islam and this cowardly attack. One cannot defend Islam with such a massacre," he says.
"This attack aims to reinforce the negative perception of foreigners and Muslims in a climate in Europe of growing Islamophobia and racism."
14:03 GMT - Witness account - One witness tells AFP: "I just got a glimpse. I saw people on the roof just across who were filming. Then I saw a Citroen C3 driving, a new car. It didn't look like a terrorist car. Then the car stopped just across from where we were and two guys with black masks got out and fired with a Kalashnikov at an unknown target."
14:01 GMT - Video footage - A video posted online shows masked gunmen getting out of a black car, firing several shots and gunning down a policeman. The wounded officer is seen raising his hand and appealing to the gunmen before being shot again in the head at point black range.
The gunmen then get back in the car and drive away.
13:53 GMT - Attackers at large - A manhunt is under way in France to find those who carried out the attack, who fled in a car after unleashing a salvo of gunfire, President Hollande said earlier.
"They will be hunted down for as long as it takes for them to be arrested, brought before the courts and sentenced," he told journalists after rushing to the scene.
"France is facing a shocking event, which was undoubtedly a terrorist attack, there's no doubt," he added.
- Manhunt -
13:44 GMT - Cartoonists killed - Some of the best-known cartoonists in France are among the 12 killed in the assault on the offices of satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, a judicial source says.
Editor-in-chief Stephane Charbonnier, known as Charb, and the cartoonists known as Cabu, Tignous and Wolinski were killed in the attack on the paper, which gained prominence for repeatedly publishing caricatures of the prophet Mohammed.
13:39 GMT - Putin reacts - Russian President Vladimir Putin sends his condolences to the victims of the deadly attack in Paris, condemning terrorism in all its forms, his spokesman says
"Moscow resolutely condemns terrorism in all its forms," Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov tells TASS news agency, adding: "Nothing can justify terrorist attacks."
"President Putin... expresses his deep condolences to the relatives and loved ones of the dead and also to the people of Paris and all the French," Peskov says
13:33 GMT - PARIS MEDIA ATTACK KILLS FOUR CARTOONISTS INCLUDING CHIEF EDITOR
13:31 GMT - School trips stopped - School trips and outdoor activities at schools in Paris and the surrounding areas of Creteil and Verseilles have been suspended under new security measures put in place immediately after the attack.
The "attack alert" -- France's highest security level -- allows exceptional measures to be put in place including banning large gatherings and parking near schools, as well as additional restrictions and patrols in sensitive areas.
- Security clampdown -
13:27 GMT - 'Free speech attacked' - "Completely defenceless and innocent people became the victims of what appears to be an attack on free speech," Denmark’s Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt says in a statement.
"The French society, like ours, is open, democratic and based on a free and critical press. Those are values that deeply rooted in all of us, and which we shall protect. It is also those very values that make France a strong society that can withstand an attack like this."
Denmark's Jyllands-Posten newspaper was targeted in a terror plot after publishing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in 2005.
13:14 GMT - Merkel 'condolences' - More European leaders have added their voices to the chorus of condemnation. German Chancellor Angela Merkel denounced the "despicable" attack in a condolence letter to President Francois Hollande.
"I was shocked to learn of the despicable attack on the newspaper in Paris," she wrote.
"I would like to express to you and your compatriots in this hour of suffering the sympathy of the German people as well my own sorrow, and convey my condolences to the victims' loved ones."
13:12 GMT - PUTIN 'RESOLUTELY CONDEMNS TERRORISM' AFTER PARIS ATTACK
13:09 GMT - Islamic reaction - The Union of Islamic Organisations in France condemns "this criminal attack and these horrific murders in the strongest possible terms".
13:02 GMT - 'Pools of blood' - A journalist working in the area opposite the Charlie Hebdo offices describes on iTELE seeing "bodies on the floor, pools of blood, some very serious injuries". "People from Charlie Hebdo came and sat in our building to calm down a bit," she adds.
Television footage has shown large numbers of police in the area, bullet-riddled windows and people being carried away on stretchers.
- Bullet-riddled windows -
12:55 GMT - US condemnation - The United States condemns the shooting attack in the "strongest possible terms". "Everybody here at the White House are with the families of those who were killed or injured in this attack," White House spokesman Josh Earnest says, speaking on MSNBC.
12:53 GMT - Police deaths - Among the 12 dead, are two police officers, according to Paris's public prosecutor's department. A source close to the investigation said that one of them, killed on the premises, was protecting Stephane Charbonnier, known as Charb, the magazine's editor.
12:46 GMT - Deadliest attacks in decades - With at least 12 deaths, the attack against the offices of Charlie Hebdo is the deadliest attack in France for at least 40 years.
12:41 GMT - European angst - Houellebecq insists his book is "a political fiction, a satire" but it is likely to fuel creeping European angst against Muslim immigration.
An influx of mostly Muslim immigrants, many fleeing conflicts in Syria, Sudan and elsewhere, at a time of European economic malaise has increased Europeans' fears that their cultures are under assault and strengthened the hand of anti-immigrant far-right parties.
12:38 GMT - WHITE HOUSE CONDEMNS PARIS ATTACK IN 'STRONGEST POSSIBLE TERMS'
12:36 GMT - Islamist slogans - In a video of the attack, filmed by a man taking refuge on a roof, and put online on the site francetvinfo, a man can be heard shouting "Allahu akbar" (God is greatest) between several bursts of gunfire.
According to a police source, the gunmen also shouted "we have avenged the prophet".
- 'Avenging' the Prophet -
12:32 GMT - Houellebecq book - Michel Houellebecq's new novel, "Soumission" ("Submission") tells the story of an Islamic government emerging from 2022 French elections ditching traditional parties for the far-right National Front and a new Muslim Brotherhood-styled party.
"Soumission" conjures up a France where a Muslim president takes power and establishes Sharia law under which women are made to wear veils and are excluded from jobs, and the Sorbonne University is renamed the Paris-Sorbonne Islamic University.
12:29 GMT - TWELVE DEAD IN PARIS NEWSPAPER ATTACK: PROSECUTORS
12:27 GMT - Latest edition - The front page of today's edition of Charlie Hebdo features a cartoon of controverisal French author Michel Houellebecq, who has penned a book imagining a future France coming under Islamic rule.
Houellebecq, pictured smoking a cigarette, is quoted as saying "In 2015 I will lose my teeth" and "in 2022 I will do Ramadan".
12:26 GMT - 'Act of barbarism' - Hollande has confirmed that 11 people are dead and another four are in critical condition after the attack, branding it an "act of exceptional barbarism".
He called for "national unity", adding that "several terrorist attacks had been foiled in recent weeks".
12:24 GMT - 'Barbaric attack' - More reaction from British Prime Minister David Cameron, speaking in parliament in London: "I'm sure the whole House will want to join me in condemning the barbaric attack this morning on an office of a magazine in Paris, in which it has been reported that 10 or more people may have been killed."
"While details are still unclear I know that this house and this country stands united with the French people in our opposition to all forms of terrorism and we stand squarely for free speech and democracy. And these people will never be able to take us off these values."
12:22 GMT - ATTACKERS SHOUTED 'WE HAVE AVENGED THE PROPHET': POLICE
12:17 GMT - IS cartoon - The latest tweet from the Charlie Hebdo Twitter account, posted about two hours ago, is a satirical cartoon of Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in which he wishes good health.
12:13 GMT - 'Tears' - French minister Laurence Rossignol tweets: "More tears than words at the horror of the attack whose victims are employees of Charlie Hebdo, police and their families."
12:12 GMT - Witness account - A postwoman who was making a delivery at the time the attack began says: "I was in the building at the end of the corridor. People came in, they were looking for Charlie Hebdo, then they fired to frighten us, no one was hit but I heard that there was at least one dead. We all fled."
12:03 GMT - Shots heard - Bruno Leveille, who lives near the scene of the attack in Paris's 11th arrondissement , tells AFP he heard "at 11:30 am exactly, around 30 gunfire shots over about 10 minutes".
- Sustained gunfire -
12:00 GMT - Alert raised - More details on the raising of the alert status: officials say the national security alert system has been set to "attack alert" -- the highest level -- following the killings in central Paris.
11:59 GMT - HOLLANDE SAYS 11 DEAD, FOUR IN CRITICAL CONDITION
11:58 GMT - Cameron tweet - British Prime Minister David Cameron condemns the "sickening" attack in Paris:
"The murders in Paris are sickening. We stand with the French people in the fight against terror and defending the freedom of the press," he says in a message on Twitter.
11:56 GMT - HOLLANDE: MEDIA SHOOTING WAS 'UNDOUBTEDLY TERRORIST ATTACK'
- Terror attack -
11:48 GMT - Death toll - The prosecutor's office confirms that "at this stage" 10 people have been killed, without detailing how many had been injured.
Another source close to the investigation says the number of dead has reached 11.
11:46 GMT - FRANCE RAISES PARIS ALERT STATUS TO HIGHEST LEVEL AFTER NEWSPAPER SHOOTING
11:43 GMT - 'Six injured' - Deputy Mayor of Paris Bruno Julliard earlier said "six people are seriously injured", including a policeman. It is not clear whether these now figure among the dead.
11:40 GMT - Controversial cartoons - Charlie Hebdo cartoonist Renaud Luzier earlier told AFP there were "casualties" after the incident.
The satirical magazine gained notoriety in February 2006 when it reprinted cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed that had originally appeared in Danish daily Jyllands-Posten, causing fury across the Muslim world.
Its offices were fire-bombed in November 2011 when it published a cartoon of Mohammed and under the title "Charia Hebdo".
11:37 GMT - 'Kalashnikov' - A source close to the investigation says two men "armed with a Kalashnikov and a rocket-launcher" stormed the building in central Paris and "fire was exchanged with security forces".
The source said gunmen had hijacked a car and knocked over a pedestrian as they sped away.
11:35 GMT - ELEVEN DEAD INCLUDING TWO POLICE : SOURCE
11:31 GMT - Hollande en route - French President Francois Hollande is on his way to the scene and has called an emergency cabinet meeting.
11:28 GMT - WELCOME TO AFP'S LIVE REPORT on the shootings in Paris where at least 10 people are dead after armed gunmen stormed the offices of French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo.