The Latest On Paris Attack: Police Appear To Close In On Two Suspects

(This post was last updated at 10:08 a.m. ET.)

 Armed security forces fly overhead in a military helicopter in Dammartin-en-Goele, northeast of Paris, on Friday. Thibault Camus/AP

Armed security forces fly overhead in a military helicopter in Dammartin-en-Goele, northeast of Paris, on Friday. Thibault Camus/AP

Two days after the deadliest terror attack half a century, parts of the Paris metropolitan area are on lockdown, as two separate standoffs with police unfold.

In a city northeast of Paris, police believe they have cornered two men suspected in an attack against the headquarters of a satirical magazine in Paris that left 12 people dead.

 

In eastern Paris, a gunman has entered a Kosher shop and may have taken hostages.

Multiple news agencies, including the Associated Press, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and France 24, say the suspect holding hostages in the Kosher shop is Amedy Coulibaly, who authorities tell them is connected to the two chief suspects in the shooting at Charlie Hebdo. Coulibaly was also named as a suspect in Thursday’s shooting death of a female police officer.

NPR’s Eleanor Beardsley reports that the first standoff started when a resident reported their car stolen in the small village of Dammartin-en-Goele, 25 miles northeast of Paris. The caller told police they recognized the two chief suspects, Said and Chérif Kouachi, and that they were heavily armed.

Police moved in and are now focused on the building of a printing company, where the two men seem to be holed up.

Citing authorities, the AP, France 24, Le Point and The New York Times, among others, report that the men have taken at least one hostage.

But the Interior Ministry said it could not confirm whether the men had taken a hostage.

“The priority is to establish a dialogue with the suspects,” the spokesman said on Twitter.

President François Hollande addressed the nation, saying police would do everything possible to guarantee people’s safety.

“France values its principles,” Hollande said. “It will be able to resist all of the challenges. I have confidence in you.”

On Twitter police asked the residents of Dammartin-en-Goele, which is not far from Paris’ main airport Charles de Gaulle, to stay inside. Schools in the area, police said, are on lockdown.

This is a breaking news story. As often happens in situations like these, some information reported early may turn out to be inaccurate. We’ll move quickly to correct the record and we’ll only point to the best information we have at the time. Refresh this page for the latest.

Update at 10:08 a.m. ET. The Links:

There’s a lot going on in this story. Here we’ll try to lay out all the known connections plainly:

— There are four events to keep in mind. 1. The shooting at Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday morning. 2. The shooting death of a female police officer on Thursday in Montrouge. 3. An ongoing standoff in Dammartin-en-Goele, where police believe the two main suspects in the Charlie Hebdo shooting, Said and Chérif Kouachi, are holed up in the building of a printing company. 4. An ongoing standoff at a Kosher shop in eastern Paris, where, according to multiple media reports, police believe Amedy Coulibaly has taken a handful of hostages.

— Earlier today, police named Coulibaly as a suspect in the shooting death of the female police officer on Thursday.

— NPR’s Dina Temple-Raston reported on Morning Edition that U.S. officials have been telling her privately that Thursday’s shooting incident was terrorism related.

— Dina says that authorities now believe that Coulibaly is a friend of the Kouachi brothers.

Le Parisen reports that in 2010, Coulibaly was implicated in trying to help in the escape of one of the masterminds of terrorist attacks that happened in 1995. The news outlet also reports that Coulibaly was convicted on terror charges.

As we reported, Chérif was implicated in that same incident in 2010.

Update at 8:22 a.m. ET. A Link Between Shootings:

Numerous news organizations have reported that police sources tell them that a shooting that left one police officer dead on Thursday is linked to the shootings at the offices of Charlie Hebdo.

France 24 reports that the people suspected of committing that crime belong to the same organizations as the Kouachi brothers.

Police have officially released a photograph of two suspects in that shooting in Montrouge. In that flier, police say the two — Hayat Boumeddiene, 26, and Amedy Coulibaly, 32 — are wanted in a murder committed in connection with a “terrorist organization.”

Update at 8:09 a.m. ET. Interior Minister At Scene Of Kosher Shop:

France’s Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve is at the scene of an apparent hostage situation in eastern Paris.

Television images have shown dozens of police officers in tactical gear in front of the kosher shop.

The AP moved this alert:

“Paris prosecutor: Gunman with hostages in kosher market in eastern Paris; police SWAT on scene.”

It’s worth noting that it’s not clear whether all of these events are related.

Update at 7:52 a.m. ET. Background:

In case you have not been paying attention, here’s a quick summary of what’s been happening in France:

Wednesday morning, at least two gunmen entered the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo, a satirical magazine that has in the past been threatened by Islamic extremists, and opened fire, killing 12 people, including four of the magazine’s founding cartoonists.

Police launched a massive manhunt for two suspects: Said and Chérif Kouachi, French citizens, who authorities had been watching for some time. Chérif was convicted on terrorism charges in 2008. He served 18 months for helping to funnel fighters from France to Iraq.

Today, that manhunt seems to have come to climax, because police believe the two men are cornered at a printing company’s building in a city northeast of Paris.

Update at 7:49 a.m. ET. Another Incident In Paris:

Multiple news outlets, including AFP, France 24 and Le Monde, are reporting that an armed man has entered a Kosher shop in eastern Paris and may have taken a hostage.

There is no word on whether this incident, which police have not confirmed, might be related to the attack on Charlie Hebdo.

Update at 7:16 a.m. ET. Not Certain If There Are Hostages:

On Twitter, the Interior Ministry spokesman, said that the men now in a standoff with police are “certain to be the Kouachi brothers.” The spokesman said it was still not clear whether the two suspects had taken any hostages.

“The priority is to establish a dialogue with the suspects,” the spokesman added.

He added that there had been no deaths or injuries at the time and that police had not launched an assault on the building.

Update at 6:51 a.m. ET. Police Make Contact:

Citing an unnamed French official, the AP says police have “made contact with terror suspects.”

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Read original article – Published January 09, 2015 6:40 AM ET
The Latest On Paris Attack: Police Appear To Close In On Two Suspects

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