Several People Detained in Hunt for Paris ’Charlie’ Killers

Local Editor

Several people have been detained in the hunt for brothers suspected of gunning down 12 people in an assault on a satirical weekly, a judicial source said Thursday.

Confirming earlier comments by Prime Minister Manuel Valls, the source, who refused to be named, said men and women close to the two brothers were currently being questioned by police, without saying where they had been detained.

Valls, meanwhile, told RTL radio that the two suspects -- who are still on the run -- were known to intelligence services and were "no doubt" being followed before Wednesday's attack.

The masked, black-clad gunmen burst into the offices of the Charlie Hebdo magazine on Wednesday morning, killing some of France's most outspoken journalists and two policemen, before jumping into a car and escaping.

Earlier, authorities reported that one suspect had surrendered and two gunmen remain on the run after the deadly shooting in the French capital.

The three attackers have been identified as Said Kouachi, 34, Cherif Kouachi, 32, and Hamyd Mourad, 18, AP reported citing French police. The names and photos of Kouachi brothers were later officially released by the authorities.

The 18-year-old Hamyd Mourad reportedly handed himself in at a police station in Charleville Mézières after seeing his name on the list of shooting suspects on social media, French media reported.

According to French channel iTele, Mourad claims to have alibi of his innocence, which is being investigated.

Earlier, police announced an anti-terror raid in the northeastern city of Reims, AFP reported. Dozens of police officers were dispatched to a site in the city, where one of the terror attack suspects reportedly lived.