Charlie Hebdo Suspects Dead: Explosions, Gunfire Mark Alleged End Of Dammartin-En-Goële Hostage Crisis [VIDEO]
Two brothers suspected of storming the office of a Paris satirical newspaper this week, fatally shooting 12 people, were reportedly killed Friday after an hourslong standoff with police that ended with a burst of explosions and gunfire at a factory in the small industrial town of Dammartin-en-Goële, France. It was not immediately clear if anyone else was injured in the explosions that unfolded two days after the offices of Charlie Hebdo were attacked in Paris on Wednesday.
The two suspects were cornered by police inside a printing house after taking a hostage in the town north of Paris. Police SWAT forces were seen on the roof of the building for most of the day, according to the Associated Press. The men had hijacked a car in a nearby town after more than two days on the run. Their hostage escaped unharmed, according to initial news reports. Video of the explosions showed sudden bursts of smoke and fire. A police officer at the scene might have been injured, Agence France-Presse reported.
A man who said he had his car stolen early Friday told Europe 1 that the suspects had a machine gun and a gun "with a kind of grenade at the end." The suspects were Chérif Kouachi, 32, who was convicted of terrorism charges in 2008 for ties to a jihadi network, and his 34-year-old brother, Said Kouachi, who was suspected of having fought for al Qaeda in Yemen.
"They said they want to die as martyrs," Yves Albarello, a local lawmaker, told French television station i-Tele.
The brothers were killed by security forces, a local mayor, Bernard Corneille of Otis, told CNN. Roads near the hostage site were blocked off, residents were told to stay inside, and schools were put on lockdown.
Said's ID card was found in an abadoned getaway car after Wednesday's attack. A Parisian neighbor, Eric Bade, told BBC Chérif was "well-behaved, friendly, polite, clean-looking, and above all, which is very important, he was willing to help old and disabled people."
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