An 18-year-old man believed to be one of three suspects in the Charlie Hebdo attack has turned himself in to police. Hamyd Mourad turned himself in on Wednesday after seeing his name mentioned on social media as a suspect.
The manhunt still continues for Cherif Kouachi and Said Kouachi, two brothers that police warn are armed and dangerous. French national police are seeking information about the whereabouts of the remaining suspects and have released photos of the two men, who are in their 30s, according to CNN.
Police described Cherif Kouachi as a militant extremist sentenced to three years in prison in 2008 for belonging to a group that sent fighters to Iraq.
[quote text_size=”small” author=”– Stéphane Charbonnier” author_title=”Editor and cartoonist at Charlie Hebdo”]
Our job is not to defend freedom of speech but without it we’re dead. We can’t live in a country without freedom of speech. I prefer to die than live like a rat.
[/quote]
France is holding a day of mourning for the twelve people killed in the attack. A minute of silence was observed at midday across the nation while the bells of Notre Dame tolled in the capital.
France has been placed on the highest terror alert and additional troops have been deployed to guard other media offices as well as transport, places of worship and other areas that may be targeted, according to the BBC.
Eight journalists, including the magazine’s editor, were killed as well as two policemen, a maintenance worker and a visitor when the men stormed the Charlie Hebdo offices with assault rifles. The magazine had angered some in the Muslim community in the past by printing cartoons of the prophet Muhammad.
Stéphane Charbonnier was the most visible editor and cartoonist at the magazine who had received death threats before. He had been issued a police bodyguard, who was with him at the time of the attack. The bodyguard was also killed, according to ABC News.
