Paris attack: EU's Charles Michel expresses 'full solidarity' with people of France

European Council President Charles Michel expressed “full solidarity” with the people of France after at least two persons were injured in a knife attack near the former offices of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris. Taking to Twitter, Michel said that his thoughts are with the victims of the “cowardly act of violence”, adding that terrorism has no place in European territory.

“Full solidarity with the French people in this new ordeal,” he tweeted.

Police have cordoned off the area in eastern Paris as they investigate the motive of the attack and determine whether it was linked to Charlie Hebdo. According to media reports, one suspect has been arrested, but authorities have not released the identity yet. The attack occurred at a time when a trial of alleged accomplices in the 2015 attack on satirical magazine’s office by Islamist terrorists is currently underway.

Read: Iran Denounces Charlie Hebdo's Republication Of Prophet Cartoon As Act Of 'provocation'

Read: Al-Qaeda Threatens Charlie Hebdo With Another Massacre For Reprinting Mohammed Cartoons

Threats from Al-Qaeda

Earlier this month, Al-Qaeda had threatened Charlie Hebdo with a 2015 like attack after it republished the caricature of Prophet Mohammed to mark the start of the trial. According to SITE Observatory, Al-Qaeda, in its publication One Ummah, warned Charlie Hebdo and French President Emmanuel Macron of the similar massacre for republishing Prophet Mohammed cartoons. 

The cartoons were first published by a Danish newspaper in 2005 and Charlie Hebdo reprinted it next year. One of the cartoons depicted Muhammad wearing a bomb-shaped turban triggered anger among the Muslim community. Muslims accused the Danish newspaper as branding all followers as terrorists and they also raised objection on the visual depiction of Prophet Muhammad in any form since they believe it amounts to blasphemy.

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

Read: Charlie Hebdo Trial: Artist Recalls 'silence Of Death' After Being Forced To Escort Gunmen

Read: Paris: 4 Wounded In Knife Attack Near Ex-Charlie Hebdo Site