One of the suspects in Wednesday morning's attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo has been killed and the other two apprehended by authorities, according to an NBC report citing U.S. counterterrorism officials.
French police began a massive manhunt for the gunmen, identified as Said Kouachi and Cherif Kouachi, who are brothers, and Hamyd Mourad after the trio allegedly attacked the magazine's offices, killing 12 people in an apparent terrorist attack.
Sometime before 11.30 a.m. at least two masked gunmen entered the offices of Charlie Hebdo.
Initial reports citing witness accounts say the gunmen were armed with Kalashnikovs and a rocket launcher.
Threatening the life of her kindergarten-aged daughter, the suspects forced an employee to let them inside the building.
Upon entering the building's reception area, police say the men shot and killed a security guard before heading to the newsroom and opening fire on magazine staff.
It is believed they then got into a black Citroen driven by a third suspect.
Shortly afterward, they exchanged fire with police near the Boulevard Richard Lenoir, where they shot one of the two police officers killed.
They also exchanged gunfire with police on a nearby side street.
The attackers next drove northeast to the city's 19th arrondissement where they abandoned the car and hijacked a second vehicle, believed to have been a grey Renault Clio, according to a BBC report.
The two Kouachi brothers, both in their early 30s, have been identified as French nationals.
The nationality of 18-year-old Mourad, however, remains unclear. All three men are reportedly linked to a Yemeni terrorist network.
Cherif Kouachi was sentenced to 18 months in prison in 2008 after being convicted on terrorism charges.
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