The gunmen were heard shouting “the prophet has been avenged!”

Via Daily Mail:

Twelve people were killed when armed gunmen carried out a ‘massacre’ at the offices of a notoriously anti-Islamic magazine in Paris – including a police officer who was executed as he begged for mercy on the pavement.

Two masked men brandishing Kalashnikovs burst into the Charlie Hebdo headquarters, opening fire on staff.

Police officers were involved in a gunfight with the men, who escaped in a hijacked car, speeding away towards east Paris and remain on the loose.

The attackers stalked the building asking for people by name before executing senior staff.

Three of France’s most revered cartoonists – Stephane Charbonnier, who is also the editor, Georges Wolinski and Jean Cabut – were among those killed.

There were unconfirmed reports that a fourth cartoonist called Bernard Verlhac (aka Tignous) had died.

Horrific footage also emerged showing an injured police officer slumped on the pavement outside the building as the two gunmen approach.

In an apparent desperate plea for his life, the officer is seen slowly raising his hand towards one of the attackers, who responds by callously shooting him in the head at point-blank range.

By midday, there were reports of up to 12 people dead and 10 wounded, four critically, including journalists, administrative staff, and police officers who attended the scene.

Pierre de Cossette, a broadcast journalist with Europe1 News, said: ‘Several men in black cagoules were heard to shout ‘the Prophet has been avenged’.