Putin Says Counter terrorism Requires Unity, Cooperation

Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed his condolences to those affected by an attack on the offices of French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday that claimed at least 12 lives.

Twelve people, including two police officers, were killed Wednesday when black-hooded gunmen stormed the Paris offices of the satirical weekly.

Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the TASS news agency that Putin offered his condolences to all the victims’ loved ones, as well as all Parisians, and stressed that the Kremlin condemns terrorism in all its forms.

 

Peskov added that Russia considers that counterterrorism requires unity and cooperation and that no country can fight this evil alone.

No link between Charlie Hebdo attack, shooting of policewoman – France

France says no link has been established “at this stage” between the fatal shooting of a policewoman in Paris and an attack on the headquarters of satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo, in the French capital.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve made the announcement.

He said the threat of terrorism in France remains “very serious,” and warned against possible attacks against Muslims.

 “We shall not tolerate any threat against a place of religion or hostile demonstration against the French people because of their origin or their religion,” he said.

This came after French prosecutors said the Thursday killing of the Paris police officer is being investigated as a “terrorist attack” in light of the Wednesday massacre at Charlie Hebdo.

Authorities have raised the alert status to its highest level following the attacks in the capital.

The incidents are feared to fuel anti-Muslim sentiments in France. Police officials say they have recorded several attacks on mosques since the Wednesday attack.

On Wednesday, three masked gunmen stormed into the headquarters of the satirical weekly, gunning down 12 people.

The youngest of the three suspects involved in the Wednesday attack, identified as Hamyd Mourad, has surrendered to police.

The two other suspects, still at large, have been identified as brothers going by the names Said and Cherif Kouachi. French special operations forces have been deployed in the country’s northeast to hunt down the two suspects.

The incident has drawn global condemnation.

Just minutes before the shooting, the magazine had tweeted a satirical cartoon of the ISIL leader, Ibrahim al-Samarrai, also known as Abubakr al-Baghdadi.

Madrid station evacuated on bomb threat

On the other hand, Spanish police have evacuated a busy metro and commuter railway station in the capital, Madrid, following the discovery of a suspicious package at the site.

A police spokeswoman, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Nuevos Ministerios station, which serves three lines of Madrid’s metro network as well as six regional commuter railway lines, was shut down just before 6.00 p.m. local time (1700 GMT) on Thursday after the package was located at one of the entrances of the station.

The spokeswoman said the station reopened an hour later after bomb disposal experts concluded that the package was not dangerous.

 “It was a false alarm. There was nothing inside the box which could explode,” she said.

The development comes a day after Spain increased its anti-terrorist security level a notch in the wake of an attack on the offices of French satirical weekly magazine, Charlie Hebdo, in Paris, which claimed 12 lives.

Al- Manar News, PRESS T.V

R.S