Charlie Hebdo shooting

Quick Facts: Who was Charlie Hebdo shooting?

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Charlie Hebdo shooting

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A pivotal French satirical magazine known for its controversial critiques of religion and politics.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

On 7 January 2015, at about 11:30 a.m. in Paris, France, the employees of the French satirical weekly magazine Charlie Hebdo were targeted in a terrorist shooting attack by two French-born Algerian Muslim brothers, Saïd and Chérif Kouachi. Armed with rifles and other weapons, the duo murdered 12 people and injured 11 others; they identified themselves as members of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which claimed responsibility for the attack. They fled after the shooting, triggering a manhunt, and were killed by the GIGN on 9 January. The Kouachi brothers' attack was followed by several related Islamist terrorist attacks across the Île-de-France between 7 and 9 January 2015, including the Hypercacher kosher supermarket siege, in which a French-born Malian Muslim took hostages and murdered 4 people (all Jewish) before being killed by French commandos.

Career & Major Achievements

In response to the shooting, France raised its Vigipirate terror alert and deployed soldiers in Île-de-France and Picardy. A major manhunt led to the discovery of the suspects, who exchanged fire with police. The brothers took hostages at a signage company in Dammartin-en-Goële on 9 January and were shot dead when they emerged from the building firing. On 11 January, about two million people, including more than 40 world leaders, met in Paris for a rally of national unity, and 3.7 million people joined demonstrations across France. The phrase Je suis Charlie became a common slogan of support at rallies and on social media.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The staff of Charlie Hebdo continued with the publication, and the following issue print ran 7.95 million copies in six languages, compared to its typical print run of 60,000 in French only. Charlie Hebdo is a publication that has long courted controversy with satirical attacks on political and religious leaders. It published cartoons of the Islamic prophet Muhammad in 2012, forcing France to temporarily close embassies and schools in more than 20 countries amid fears of reprisals. Its offices were firebombed in November 2011 after publishing a previous caricature of Muhammad on its cover. On 16 December 2020, 14 people who were accomplices to both the Charlie Hebdo and Jewish supermarket attackers were convicted.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 2011: 2011 Milestone — Its offices were firebombed in November 2011 after publishing a previous caricature of Muhammad on its cover.
2. 2012: 2012 Milestone — It published cartoons of the Islamic prophet Muhammad in 2012, forcing France to temporarily close embassies and schools in more than 20 countries amid fears of reprisals.
3. 2015: 2015 Milestone — On 7 January 2015, at about 11:30 a.
4. 2020: 2020 Milestone — On 16 December 2020, 14 people who were accomplices to both the Charlie Hebdo and Jewish supermarket attackers were convicted.

Notable Quotes by Charlie Hebdo shooting

“We have to carry on until Islam has been rendered as banal as Catholicism.” (2013)

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Charlie Hebdo shooting

True or False: “The magazine was first published in the year 2015, marking its initial run of controversial satire.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): Charlie Hebdo was actually first published much earlier, in 1969.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Charlie Hebdo shooting