Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed his condolences to those affected by an attack on the offices of French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday that claimed at least 12 lives.
Twelve people, including two police officers, were killed Wednesday when black-hooded gunmen stormed the Paris offices of the satirical weekly.
During the attack, the gunmen shouted "we have avenged the Prophet Muhammad," witnesses told the BBC.
The weekly was known for its irreverent caricatures of politicians and religious leaders.
Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the TASS news agency that Putin offered his condolences to all the victims' loved ones, as well as all Parisians, and stressed that the Kremlin condemns terrorism in all its forms.
French President Francois Hollande said he has no doubts Wednesday's incident was a terrorist attack, according to Reuters. It was unclear how many attackers there were and whether they had been apprehended, but Reuters cited a witness as saying several men had entered the building with automatic rifles.
Charlie Hebdo's offices were firebombed in 2011 after publishing cartoons featuring the Prophet Muhammad.
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