Biodun Iginla, BBC News

Biodun Iginla, BBC News
Showing posts with label paris attack. Show all posts
Showing posts with label paris attack. Show all posts

Friday, November 13, 2015

BREAKING NEWS: Paris attacks: Shootings kill 18, hostage-taking at Bataclan arts centre

by Natalie de Vallieres and Biodun Iginla, BBC News, Paris

4 minutes ago


At least 18 people have been killed in several shootings in the French capital, Paris, as well as explosions at the Stade de France.
At least one man opened fire at a restaurant in the 11th district, causing several several casualties.
French media say at least 15 people have been killed near the Bataclan arts centre. A hostage taking is under way, with reports of up to 60 held.
Three explosions are also reported outside a bar near the Stade de France.
France were hosting Germany in a friendly and the match continued. It has now ended
Reports say French President Francois Hollande was watching the match and has been moved to safety.
Mr Hollande and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve have gone to the interior ministry.
Live: Follow the latest developments here.
A BBC journalist at the Petit Cambodge restaurant says he can see 10 people on the road either dead or seriously injured.
He says police have now arrived and sealed off the area.
Media captionGregory Domine said he heard "automatic gunshots"
An eyewitness told Liberation he had heard more than 100 rounds being fired at a cafe in rue de Charonne.
Map
There are reports of up to six gunmen involved.
Scene of shooting
Image caption Multiple gunshots were heard around the Petit Cambodge restaurant

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Sunday, January 18, 2015

Poll: Nearly half of French oppose Mohammed cartoons

by Biodun Iginla, France24 and BBC News, Paris


© AFP | The cover of the Wednesday, Janaury 14, edition of Charlie Hebdo featuring a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed


Latest update : 2015-01-18

Almost half of those in France believe cartoons of the Muslim Prophet Mohammed – like those printed by satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo – should not be published, a poll said Sunday, with a similar number in favour of “limitations” on free speech.

The recent attack by Islamic extremists at the offices of Charlie Hebdo that killed 12 people in apparent revenge for publishing cartoons of Mohammed has led to a fierce defence of France’s freedom of speech laws by politicians, media and millions of French citizens – including at a huge unity march in Paris on January 11.
But an Ifop poll published in France’s Journal du Dimanche (Sunday Journal) paints a much more divided picture of French attitudes towards what is considered a key facet of the country’s republican values.
Conducted last week in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo killings, the poll found that 42 percent of French people oppose the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed, which are considered blasphemous and highly offensive by many Muslims.
Half of those questioned also said they believed there should be "limitations on free speech online and on social networks".
However, 57 percent said opposition to the cartoons from Muslims should not stop them from being published.

Hollande: Freedom of expression ‘non-negotiable’

Charlie Hebdo has published cartoons of Mohammed several times in the past and did so again on Wednesday with its “survivors issue” – the first since the January 7 attack at its Paris offices.
The first print run of the edition, which features a weeping Mohammed on the cover holding a sign that says “Je suis Charlie” (I am Charlie) under the words “All is forgiven”, sold out within minutes at newsagents across France after going on sale Wednesday.
Publishers announced Saturday that they would once more increase the print run of the issue – to 7 million copies – having already increased it once from 3 million to 5 million. Before the attacks, the magazine had a print run of just 60,000.
Charlie Hebdo's decision to print another Mohammed cartoon has led to condemnation from Muslim groups in France as well as fierce and sometimes violent protests in several Muslim countries. At least ten people were killed in two days of unrest in Niger as protesters set fire to churches and ransacked several French-linked businesses in the capital Niamey.
French President François Hollande has condemned the violence, calling France’s commitment to freedom of expression "non-negotiable".
“There are tensions abroad where people don’t understand our attachment to freedom of speech,” Hollande said.
However, while comments and images considered blasphemous are legal under French law, the country already has numerous restrictions on freedom of speech in place. Comments inciting racial hatred are illegal, for example, as are those defending terrorist acts – a law under which controversial comedian Dieudonné M’Bala M’Bala was arrested last week.
This has led to claims of hypocrisy from some quarters, including Amnesty International.
“In a week in which world leaders and millions around the world have spoken out in defence of freedom of expression, the French authorities must be careful not to violate this right themselves,” the human rights organisation said Friday.
French back ban on returning jihadists

But while French attitudes towards freedom of expression may be split, the poll suggests the country’s citizens are largely united when it comes to taking tough action on Islamic extremists.
The vast majority – 81 percent – were in favour of stripping French nationality from dual nationals who have committed an act of terrorism on French soil.
More than two-thirds (68 percent) said French citizens should be banned from returning to the country if "they are suspected of having gone to fight in countries or regions controlled by terrorist groups", such as Syria.
The same number backed bans on those suspected of wanting to join jihadist movements abroad from leaving France.
France has long been concerned by the number of its citizens travelling abroad to fight in jihadist movements in countries such as Syria and Iraq, and the possibility that they might return to commit terrorist acts on home soil.
One of the Charlie Hebdo gunmen – Saïd Kouachi – is known to have travelled to Yemen where he trained with militants from al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula while his brother and accomplice, Chérif Kouachi, was part of a group that helped French Muslims travel to Iraq to fight alongside al Qaeda after the 2003 US-led invasion.
Date created : 2015-01-18

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Paris attacks: Gunman Said Kouachi given unmarked grave


by Biodun Iginla, BBC News, Paris

Police picture of Said Kouachi Said Kouachi was killed by police on 9 January
One of the brothers who launched a deadly attack against French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo has been buried in an unmarked grave.
Said Kouachi was buried secretly late on Friday in the eastern city of Reims, where he had lived before the attack.
The mayor of Reims said he had opposed the burial, fearing a grave could become a shrine, but had been forced to accept it by law.
Attacks in Paris killed 17 people last week, 12 of them at Charlie Hebdo.
On 9 January, two days after attacking the magazine, Said Kouachi and his younger brother Cherif were killed by police at an industrial estate north of Paris.
Cherif Kouachi is expected to be buried in his hometown of Gennevilliers, outside Paris.
There has been no announcement on plans for burying Amedy Coulibaly, who killed four people at a Jewish supermarket in Paris on 9 January and is suspected of killing a policewoman in the French capital a day earlier.
'Risk of disturbance' Earlier in the week, Reims mayor Arnaud Robinet said he would "categorically refuse" a family request for Said Kouachi to be buried in the city.
He said he did not want "a tomb that could become a shrine for people to gather around or a pilgrimage site for fanatics".
But on Saturday he said he had been forced by the government to accept the burial. "He was buried last night, in the most discreet, anonymous way possible," he told French TV.
Crowds take part in a unity rally in Reims, 11 January 2015 Like other French cities, Reims saw large crowds for a unity march after the attacks
The city said in a statement: "Given the risk of disturbance of the peace and in order to quickly turn the page of this tragic episode, it was decided to do the burial quickly."
A lawyer for Said Kouachi's widow said she had not attended the burial for fear that journalists would follow her and the location of the grave would be discovered.
'Dignity and efficiency' Touring a market in Tulle on Saturday, French President Francois Hollande said the nation had "come through the ordeal with a great deal of dignity and efficiency".
"We are of course aware that there are still threats," he said, "but life has to go on and we even need to emerge stronger".
"That's the best response we can give."
Almost 15,000 extra police and troops have been mobilised to boost security across France since the attacks.
Soldiers have also been sent onto the streets in neighbouring Belgium, where officials said they had foiled a possible attack against the police when they shot dead two suspects on Thursday in the eastern city of Verviers.
Some 150 soldiers were deployed in Brussels and Antwerp on Saturday, a number that is expected to double over the coming week.
Meanwhile, there have been protests in several countries against a cartoon in this week's edition of Charlie Hebdo depicting the Prophet Muhammad.
In Niger, churches were set on fire in the capital, Niamey, a day after at least four people were killed in the second city of Zinder.
Seven million copies of the edition are being printed in view of extraordinary demand, distributors announced on Saturday. The magazine's print run before the attack was 60,000.
French soldier at Charles de Gaulle airport, 17 January 2015 Thousands of troops have been deployed across France to boost security

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Friday, January 16, 2015

Paris attacks: Muslim shop assistant hid Jewish shoppers


by Biodun Iginla, BBC News, Paris

Lassana Bathily: "I switched off the fridge... and told customers to stay calm"
A man from Mali has told the BBC how he hid shoppers at a Jewish supermarket in Paris during an attack by an Islamist gunman last Friday.
The 24-year-old shop assistant, Lassana Bathily, who is Muslim, explained how he had shepherded fleeing customers into a basement cold store.
He told them to stay quiet and calm before escaping to alert police.
Mr Bathily is to be given French nationality at a ceremony on Tuesday after his application was fast-tracked.
The gunman, Amedy Coulibaly, killed four Jewish hostages at the supermarket before being shot dead by police.
A petition was later circulated in France calling for Mr Bathily to be given citizenship.
He has lived in France for nine years and applied for citizenship last year.
'Screaming' Mr Bathily said he had been in the basement of the supermarket when he heard gunshots upstairs.
"The customers started running down the steps. They were screaming [that] there were terrorists in the shop.
He said he noticed that the cold storage room was open.
"I told them to come in with me. Then I switched off the fridge and the lights.
Police outside Hyper Cacher kosher supermarket in Paris Mr Bathily was able to help police plan their assault on the supermarket
"I told the customers to stay calm. [I said:] If the terrorist comes down here he must not hear you."
Mr Bathily said once everyone was quiet he decided to escape to alert police.
"I took the service lift out of the basement. I rushed out and saw the police everywhere," he said.
"They told me to put my hands up but then they asked me for my help.
"I told them a lot of hostages were hidden in the basement. They asked me to draw a map of the shop to help with their assault."
'Criminals' Mr Bathily said he had a good relationship with Jewish colleagues at the shop, and was sometimes teased about when he would get a Jewish girlfriend.
Asked about the Paris attackers, Mr Bathily said: "They were just criminals who want to make people suffer."
Last week's violence began with an attack by two gunmen on Charlie Hebdo magazine, which left 12 people dead.
The two gunmen behind the Charlie Hebdo attack - Said and Cherif Kouachi - were shot dead by police outside a warehouse near Paris on 9 January.
Twelve suspects are being held by police in the Paris region over the attacks, in which 17 people were killed.
They are being questioned about "possible logistical support", such as weapons or vehicles, they could have given the three gunmen, police say.

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Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Al-Qaeda claims Charlie Hebdo attack

by Biodun Iginla and Nasra Ismail, BBC Newsbeat Online


Al-Qaeda in Yemen claimed the attack on the magazine in a video purportedly from the group.
However, the video did not provide any evidence to support its claims. The group had previously welcomed the attack, without acknowledging any role in the operation.
It is believed earlier cartoons of the Prophet provoked the attack on the magazine.
"I am Charlie" emerged as a message of support for the magazine following the attack on 7 January, which left eight journalists, including its editor, dead in addition to four others.
In a separate attack in Paris two days later, an Islamist gunman killed four Jewish men and took hostages at a kosher shop.
A policewoman was shot dead in a third shooting believed to have been carried out by the same attacker.
A note that reads: "No more Charlie Hebdo" is posted after all copies of the satirical newspaper were sold out at a newsstand in Paris, 14 January 2015 All copies of the magazine were sold out by Wednesday morning at this Paris newsstand
Jean Paul Bierlein reads the new Charlie Hebdo outside a newsstand in Nice, south-eastern France, 14 January 2015 Some kiosks said they had received dozens of reservation requests
A man waves a flag reading 'Je suis Charlie' during a unity rally in Paris. Photo: 11 January 2015 On Sunday, about 1.5 million people rallied in Paris in a show of solidarity with the victims
Three million copies of the latest edition of Charlie Hebdo were originally printed for distribution.
Copies in France quickly sold out on Wednesday morning. Editors then decided to increase the print run to five million. Normally, only 60,000 are printed each week.
Demand for what is being called the "survivors' issue" of the magazine is high, in part because the proceeds will go to the victims' families, correspondents say.
There are no further caricatures of the Prophet inside the magazine itself but there are several of Islamist extremists.
New threats Charlie Hebdo's decision to publish another cartoon of the Prophet has already generated threats from militant Islamist websites and criticism from the Islamic world.
Charlie Hebdo editor-in-chief Gerard Biard comforted Renald "Luz" Luzier, who drew the latest cover, at a news conference
The self-styled Islamic State (IS) militant group said on its radio station that the publication of the cartoon was "an extremely stupid act".
Meanwhile, a new video said to be from al-Qaeda in Yemen (AQAP) was aired on Wednesday saying the group had planned and financed the Charlie Hebdo attacks, which were conducted in "vengeance for the Prophet".
It added that it was a "success" that the attack on the magazine had "coincided" with the attacks by supermarket gunman Amedy Coulibaly.
Coulibaly had pledged allegiance to IS in a video message while the Charlie Hebdo attackers, Said and Cherif Kouachi, had said they were acting on behalf of AQAP.
Coulibaly had also said they had co-ordinated the attacks, but experts say it is highly unlikely IS and AQAP, rivals in the Middle East, would plan an attack together.
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Why people are buying the magazine
Why is it important for Parisians to buy this issue of Charlie Hebdo?
Catherine Boniface, Paris: "This issue is symbolic, it represents their persistence, they didn't yield in the face of terror."
Read more: In the queue for Charlie Hebdo
Read more: Charlie Hebdo's place in French journalism
Read more: The issue of depicting the Prophet Muhammad
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The issue will be available in six languages - including English, Arabic and Turkish - some in print and some online.
Outside France, the Washington Post, Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine, Corriere della Sera in Italy and the UK's Guardian are among publications to show the cartoon. The BBC has published the image in a previous story and in a statement said: "We have made the editorial judgment that the images are central to reporting the story."
Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet has published a section of the magazine, including a small image of the cover. It had originally planned to publish the full edition but scaled down its plans due to security concerns.
Very few outlets in the Middle East and North Africa have shown the image.
Comedian arrested Referring to last week's shocking events, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said his country was at war with extremism and terrorism - but not with Muslims.
New mobile phone footage shows the Kouachi brothers opening fire on police
He was speaking on Tuesday after funeral ceremonies were held for seven of the victims in France and Israel.
France has deployed 10,000 troops at various sites across the country - including synagogues, mosques and airports - in response to the attacks.
Meanwhile, controversial French comedian Dieudonne M'bala M'bala was arrested on Wednesday for "defending terrorism".
Police opened an investigation into the comic on Monday after he wrote on Facebook "I feel like Charlie Coulibaly" - merging Charlie Hebdo with the name of supermarket gunman Amedy Coulibaly.
Police have also begun investigations against more than 50 people for "condoning terrorism", and are addressing 25 cases of people attacking or defacing Muslim places of worship, AFP news agency reports.
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How the attacks unfolded (all times GMT)
Map of Paris showing the locations of three deadly attacks in January 2015
  • Wednesday 7 January 10:30 - Two masked gunmen enter Charlie Hebdo offices, killing 11 people, including the magazine's editor. Shortly after the attack, the gunmen kill a police officer nearby.
  • 11:00 - Police lose track of the men after they abandon their getaway car and hijack another vehicle. They are later identified as brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi.
  • Thursday 8 January 08:45 - A lone gunman shoots dead a policewoman and injures a man in the south of Paris. Gunman later identified as Amedy Coulibaly.
  • 10:30 - The Kouachi brothers rob a service station near Villers-Cotterets, in the Aisne region, but disappear again.
  • Friday 9 January 08:30 - Police exchange gunfire with the Kouachi brothers during a car chase on the National 2 highway northeast of Paris.
  • 10:00 - Police surround the brothers at an industrial building in at Dammartin-en-Goele, 35km (22 miles) from Paris.
  • 12:15 - Coulibaly reappears and takes several people hostage at a kosher supermarket in eastern Paris. Heavily armed police arrive and surround the store.
  • 16:00 - Kouachi brothers come out of the warehouse, firing at police. They are both shot dead.
  • 16:15 - Police storm the kosher supermarket in Paris, killing Coulibaly and rescuing 15 hostages. The bodies of four hostages are recovered.
Three days of terror
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From other news sites

Charlie Hebdo attack: Rush to buy new "survivors' issue"


by Natalie de Vallieres and Biodun Iginla, BBC Newsbeat Online

The BBC's Hugh Schofield reports from a kiosk in Paris as people queue to buy the latest issue
Long queues have formed at newsstands in France for the latest edition of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
Five million copies are being printed - a week after Islamist gunmen murdered eight journalists at the magazine and four other people in Paris.
The cover shows a cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad weeping while holding a sign saying "Je suis Charlie" ("I am Charlie").
It is believed earlier cartoons of the Prophet prompted the attack.
The slogan "Je suis Charlie" has been widely used following the shootings.
In a separate attack in Paris two days later, four Jewish men died after an Islamist gunmen took hostages at a kosher shop in the French capital. A police woman was shot dead in a third shooting believed to have been carried out by the same attacker.
A note that reads: "No more Charlie Hebdo" is posted after all copies of the satirical newspaper were sold out at a newsstand in Paris, 14 January 2015 All copies of the magazine were sold out by Wednesday morning at this Paris newsstand
Jean Paul Bierlein reads the new Charlie Hebdo outside a newsstand in Nice, southeastern France, 14 January 2015 Some kiosks said they had received dozens of reservation requests
A man waves a flag reading 'Je suis Charlie' during a unity rally in Paris. Photo: 11 January 2015 On Sunday, about 1.5 million people rallied in Paris in a show of solidarity with the victims
Referring to last week's shocking events, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said his country was at war with extremism and terrorism - but not with Muslims.
He was speaking on Tuesday after funeral ceremonies were held for seven of the victims in France and Israel.
France has deployed 10,000 troops at various sites across the country - including synagogues, mosques and airports - in response to the attacks.
New threats
Charlie Hebdo editor-in-chief Gerard Biard comforted Renald "Luz" Luzier, who drew the latest cover, at a news conference
Three million copies of the latest edition of Charlie Hebdo were originally printed for distribution. On Wednesday morning, following overwhelming demand, editors decided to increase the print run to five million. Normally, only 60,000 are printed each week.
Demand for what is being called the "survivors' issue" of the magazine is high, in part because the proceeds will go to the victims' families, correspondents say.
Kiosk owners told French media they had received large numbers of reservation requests, while at one shop in Paris all copies were reportedly sold out within five minutes.
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Hugh Schofield in Paris on the new edition:
There's the full-page cartoon of a weeping Muhammad on the front cover, but inside there are no more caricatures of the Prophet.
There are plenty - in the paper's characteristic scurrilous vein - of Muslim extremists. In one cartoon, two terrorists are seen ascending to heaven and asking: "Where are the 70 virgins?" In the background, the murdered staff at Charlie Hebdo are enjoying an orgy.
An editorial thanks the millions of people who have declared themselves as Charlie in the past few days - but it says it wants no more of the past insinuations that by provoking Muslims, it has somehow brought trouble on itself.
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The issue will be available in six languages - including English, Arabic and Turkish - some in print and some online.
Editor-in-chief Gerard Biard told reporters: "We are happy to have done it and happy to have been able to do it, to have achieved it. It was tough. The front page... was complicated to put together, because it had to express something new, it had to say something relating to the event that we had to deal with."
The front cover of the edition had been widely published in advance by French media.
A French policeman and soldiers on patrol in Roubaix, northern France. Photo: 13 January 2015 Security has been increased dramatically across France after the attacks
Outside France, the Washington Post, Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine, Corriere della Sera in Italy and the UK's Guardian are among publications to show the cartoon.
Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet has published a section of the magazine, including a small image of the cover in one of its columns. It had originally planned to publish the full edition, but scaled down its plans due to security concerns.
Very few outlets in the Middle East and North Africa have shown the image.
Charlie Hebdo's decision to publish another cartoon of the Prophet has already generated threats from militant Islamist websites and criticism from the Islamic world, the BBC's Chris Morris in Paris reports.
Meanwhile, controversial French comedian Dieudonne M'bala M'bala was arrested on Wednesday for "defending terrorism".
Police opened an investigation into the comic on Monday, after he wrote on a Facebook post "I feel like Charlie Coulibaly" - merging Charlie Hebdo with the name of supermarket gunman Amedy Coulibaly.
Suspect on the run The three days of violence in Paris began after brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi attacked the magazine's office. They shouted "We have avenged the Prophet Muhammad" after the shootings.
New mobile phone footage shows the Kouachi brothers opening fire on police
The brothers were later killed by French security services after a stand-off in a town north of Paris.
Separately, Coulibaly - whom investigators have linked to the brothers - killed the four men at the kosher supermarket on Friday, apparently before police stormed the building. Coulibaly is also believed to have shot dead the policewoman the day before.
His partner Hayat Boumeddiene is now thought to be in Syria. She has been identified as a suspect by French police, although she left France before the attacks.
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How the attacks unfolded (all times GMT)
Map of Paris showing the locations of three deadly attacks in January 2015
  • Wednesday 7 January 10:30 - Two masked gunmen enter Charlie Hebdo offices, killing 11 people, including the magazine's editor. Shortly after the attack, the gunmen kill a police officer nearby.
  • 11:00 - Police lose track of the men after they abandon their getaway car and hijack another vehicle. They are later identified as brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi.
  • Thursday 8 January 08:45 - A lone gunman shoots dead a policewoman and injures a man in the south of Paris. Gunman later identified as Amedy Coulibaly.
  • 10:30 - The Kouachi brothers rob a service station near Villers-Cotterets, in the Aisne region, but disappear again.
  • Friday 9 January 08:30 - Police exchange gunfire with the Kouachi brothers during a car chase on the National 2 highway northeast of Paris.
  • 10:00 - Police surround the brothers at an industrial building in at Dammartin-en-Goele, 35km (22 miles) from Paris.
  • 12:15 - Coulibaly reappears and takes several people hostage at a kosher supermarket in eastern Paris. Heavily-armed police arrive and surround the store.
  • 16:00 - Kouachi brothers come out of the warehouse, firing at police. They are both shot dead.
  • 16:15 - Police storm the kosher supermarket in Paris, killing Coulibaly and rescuing 15 hostages. The bodies of four hostages are recovered.
Three days of terror
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