Use this guide to help students understand the events of the recent terrorist attacks in France.
On January 7, 2015, brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi launched a terrorist attack on the French newspaper Charlie Hebdo, killing 12 people. The gunmen said they were punishing journalists for publishing cartoons that depicted the Islamic prophet Mohammed, which is forbidden by Muslim teachings. Following the attack, the two fled Paris; police caught up with them two days later in a town north of Paris, where they died in a shootout. The same day police found the Kouachi brothers, Amedy Coulibaly took hostages at a kosher supermarket in Paris, killing four people before being fatally shot by police.
The three Muslim extremists , brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi and Amedy Coulibaly, had ties to the terrorist network al-Qaeda. On Jan. 14, al-Qaeda’s branch in Yemen claimed responsibility for the brothers' attack, saying that al-Qaeda leadership had chosen Charlie Hebdo as a target and referring to the Kouachi brothers as “two heroes of Islam.”
Sequence of events : 1. At 11:30 am, Jan. 7, Cherif and Said Kouachi arrive at the office of newspaper Charlie Hebdo and open fire on an editorial meeting. 2. The two leave the building and lead the police on a chase. On Jan. 9, police locate them at a printing facility in Dammartin-en-Goele north of Paris, where they have taken one hostage. Both men die when police advance into the building, shooting them. 3. The same day, Amedy Coulibaly takes hostages at a kosher grocery store in Paris and a standoff with the police ensues. The standoff ends in the death of Coulibaly and four hostages.
Men and students of Ghausia Madrassa, an Islamic school, offer funeral prayers in Peshawar January 13, 2015, for the Islamist militants who conducted attacks in Paris last week. Seventeen victims, including journalists and police, died in three days of violence that began on Wednesday with an attack on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, known for mocking Islam and other religions. The Charlie Hebdo gunmen, two French-born brothers of Algerian origin, singled out the weekly for its publication of cartoons depicting and ridiculing the Prophet Mohammad. The three days of bloodshed ended on Friday with a siege at a Jewish deli in Paris where four hostages and another gunman were killed. The first two attackers, brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi who travelled to Yemen in 2011 for training, were killed on Friday after a siege northeast of the capital. Police said all three men were part of the same Paris-based Islamist cell. REUTERS/Khuram Parvez (PAKISTAN - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST RELIGION) - RTR4L8KS
The French newspaper Charlie Hebdo has a history of publishing provocative political cartoons, including several that depicted the prophet Mohammed. The attacks are believed to have been
motivated
by the drawings, considered blasphemous by most Muslims. Muslims from around the globe have denounced the attacks in France and defended Islam as a peaceful religion.
It is believed that the two brothers were linked with
al-Qaida
in the Arabian Peninsula and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, although experts are unsure of how much direct support they received from the groups. Both groups share a common interest of attacking those who support the West. In Sept. 2014, ISIL put out a broad call to individuals to launch their own attacks at home. Since then, several terror attacks have taken place in Canada, Australia and France.
People all over the world have
shown
their support for the editors and cartoonists killed during the attacks by displaying the words “Je suis Charlie” (I am Charlie) on Twitter and marching together. Additionally, demonstrators have shown support for the men killed in the kosher grocery store and a Muslim police officer who died in the attacks. Leaders from around the world condemned the attacks and
joined
Parisians marching to recognize the loss of life.
Cartoonists
all over the world have shown their solidarity by producing their own cartoons that mourn the loss of life and stand defiant against attacks on free expression.
As more intelligence becomes available to French police, a clearer picture is emerging about the attackers and those who may have supported their efforts.
What
On January 7, 2015, brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi launched a terrorist attack on the French newspaper Charlie Hebdo, killing 12 people. The gunmen said they were punishing journalists for publishing cartoons that depicted the Islamic prophet Mohammed, which is forbidden by Muslim teachings. Following the attack, the two fled Paris; police caught up with them two days later in a town north of Paris, where they died in a shootout. The same day police found the Kouachi brothers, Amedy Coulibaly took hostages at a kosher supermarket in Paris, killing four people before being fatally shot by police.
Who
The three Muslim extremists , brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi and Amedy Coulibaly, had ties to the terrorist network al-Qaeda. On Jan. 14, al-Qaeda’s branch in Yemen claimed responsibility for the brothers' attack, saying that al-Qaeda leadership had chosen Charlie Hebdo as a target and referring to the Kouachi brothers as “two heroes of Islam.”
When
Sequence of events : 1. At 11:30 am, Jan. 7, Cherif and Said Kouachi arrive at the office of newspaper Charlie Hebdo and open fire on an editorial meeting. 2. The two leave the building and lead the police on a chase. On Jan. 9, police locate them at a printing facility in Dammartin-en-Goele north of Paris, where they have taken one hostage. Both men die when police advance into the building, shooting them. 3. The same day, Amedy Coulibaly takes hostages at a kosher grocery store in Paris and a standoff with the police ensues. The standoff ends in the death of Coulibaly and four hostages.
Why
How
It is believed that the two brothers were linked with
al-Qaida
in the Arabian Peninsula and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, although experts are unsure of how much direct support they received from the groups. Both groups share a common interest of attacking those who support the West. In Sept. 2014, ISIL put out a broad call to individuals to launch their own attacks at home. Since then, several terror attacks have taken place in Canada, Australia and France.
Support for the victims
Update
As more intelligence becomes available to French police, a clearer picture is emerging about the attackers and those who may have supported their efforts.
