Suspects Named in Charlie Hebdo Massacre; 1 Formerly Convicted of Terrorism

French police today named two brothers in their 30s and a teenage boy claiming affiliation with al Qaeda as the gunmen in today’s massacre at the offices of a French satirical magazine.

French police officials confirmed that the group attacking Charlie Hebdo consisted of “Frenchmen Said Kouachi and Cherif Kouachi, who are brothers and in their early 30s [pictured above], as well as 18-year-old Hamyd Mourad, whose nationality wasn’t immediately clear,” according to the AP. The three fled from the offices in a car and then on foot; so far, the men have not been apprehended.

According to eyewitnesses who saw the men hijack a second car, the men seemed calm and announced their affiliation. “You can tell the media that it’s al Qaeda in Yemen,” one reportedly shouted. (The Yemeni branch of al Qaida told the AP that they were not claiming responsibility but said they may have inspired the attack.)

Kouachi has a history of radicalization: in 2008, he was sentenced to 18 months in prison for helping terrorists get to Iraq to fight in the anti-American insurgency. During the trial, he said he was moved to join jihad after seeing images of torture in Abu Ghraib. “I really believed in the idea” of fighting against the American-led coalition in Iraq, he said at the time.

[AP]
[Image via handout/Heavy.com]

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