Charlie Hebdo trial: Artist recalls 'silence of death' after being forced to escort gunmen

A survivor of attack on French magazine Charlie Hebdo recalled horrors during a trial of 14 people accused of helping two terrorists who killed 12 people. Corinne Rey, kwn as Coco, h gone outside for a smoke when she encountered brors Cherif and Said Kouachi and forced her to escort m to to magazine's second-floor offices.

“Coco, we want Charlie Hebdo,” terrorists said, as quoted by Rey during emotional testimony.

Rey told court that she h a “sense of dre” and couldn’t think anymore as Kouachi brors were “armed to teeth”. She recalled climbing up stairs with terrorists before entering offices of Charlie Hebdo, magazine which h published cartoons on Prophet Muhamm, angering Muslim community.

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Before ghastly attack, terrorists h warned Charlie Hebdo that it would pay a heavy price for publishing cartoons. On January 7, 2015, brors Chérif and Said Kouachi stormed Charlie Hebdo’s office in Paris with assault rifles, submachine guns, grenes and pistols and killed 12 people, including cartoonists and or editorial staff. 

"I was devastated, as if dispossessed of myself, I could longer do anything. I moved towards code keyp and I d it in...I felt that terrorists were approaching ir goal, I felt m growing excited next to me," she said.

Sense of guilt

Rey said she ran to hide under a desk as attackers shot at Simon Fieschi, ministrator of magazine’s website. She recalled that re was a “silence of death” after gunmen killed 10 people inside office. As y left office, a wounded Laurent "Riss" Sourisseau, w Charlie Hebdo’s director, told Rey “Coco, don't worry”.

"It took me a long time to understand that I am t guilty one. only culprits are Islamist terrorists. Kouachis and those who helped m," she told court.

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(With AP inputs)