Four people were injured in a stabbing incident near the old headquarters of the provocative magazine • The background to the incident is unknown • Two suspects fled the scene of the incident
French soldiers at the scene of the stabbing incident in Paris // Photo: AFP
Paris police confirmed today (Friday) that at least four people were injured in a stabbing attack in the center of the capital Paris, near the old headquarters of Charlie Hebdo magazine.
According to various reports, two suspects managed to escape from the scene.
Police confirmed that a suspicious object was found at the scene of the incident and that nearby streets were closed by large police forces.
French army forces also arrived at the scene and are on the hunt for the suspects
At this stage it is not clear the nature of the attack and it is not at all clear whether it has anything to do with the magazine, whose offices have moved since the terrorist attack in 2014 to another location.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex tweeted on his Twitter page: "A stabbing attack took place near former Charlie Hebdo headquarters. I met with the interior minister to brief me on the incident.
Yesterday it was reported in the French media that one of the magazine's executives had complained of repeated threats to her life, apparently from Muslim extremists who were angry at cartoons showing the picture of the Prophet Muhammad famous in the newspaper.