On Jan. 7, 2015, the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo was targeted by two Islamic extremists over a cartoon drawing of the Prophet Muhammad, which the magazine had published in 2006.
The two brothers who carried out the shooting injured 11 and killed 12 others, including nine members of Charlie Hebdo’s editorial team, a guard, a patrol officer, and one guest. The killers, who were supporters of the terrorist group al Qaeda, fled the scene and a manhunt broke out while authorities searched for the two brothers, Cherif and Said Kouachi.
Authorities followed the Kouachi brothers for two days and eventually cornered them in an industrial factory. While the Kouachis were cornered, an Islamic State supporter with ties to the brothers, Amedy Coulibaly, held dozens of people hostage in a nearby Kosher market. The terrorist held much of the market hostage while he demanded that the brothers be allowed to flee. He killed four hostages before police successfully took control of the situation. The Kouachis and Coulibaly were all killed by authorities.
In total, 17 lives were taken, including a policewoman who was positioned outside a gas station used by the Kouachi brothers in Montrouge. The victims were mourned globally, as many posted “Je Suis Charlie” to social media, which translates to “I am Charlie.”
To this day, the editor of Charlie Hebdo is under continuous police protection, but he maintained his spirit. He told the radio station, France Info, “I’m here. We’re here. Charlie Hebdo is still here. Still standing and just as determined. We never stopped laughing because that’s part of life.”
A memorial for the five year anniversary of the attack will take place in Paris on Tuesday.
