Terror Police Swarm Forest In Hunt For Paris Pair
Anti-terror police are searching dense woodland northeast of Paris after two gunmen suspected of killing 12 people in the Charlie Hebdo magazine attack were sighted.
Two men reportedly fitting the descriptions of brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi stole fuel and food from a petrol station near Villers-Cotterets, in the northern Aisne region, 43 miles (70km) from Paris, this morning.
There is a high police presence in the villages of Crepy-en-Valois, 10 miles (16km) from the petrol station, and Abbaye de Longpont, where just 400 people live.
Sky's Joey Jones said police were going house-to-house "scrutinising each resident".
Witness Benoit Verdun told Sky News he believes the suspects are in a very large forest near the village, which he said is "bigger than Paris" at 13,000 hectares, or 50 square miles.
Crepy-en-Valois' mayor Bruno Fortier said he could not confirm reports the men were holed up in a house in the area.
"It's an incessant waltz of police cars and trucks," he told Reuters.
Jones said the picture is one of "utter confusion" and there are many rumours flying around.
He said the current scene is one of a "sleepy" village with people "going about their everyday business".
Earlier the men, wearing balaclavas, were spotted travelling on the N2 road in the direction of Paris in a Renault Clio which had weapons on its back seat and its number plates covered.
AFP said the pair had Kalashnikovs and what appeared to be a rocket-launcher.
RAID, the anti-terrorist unit of the French police force, and the GIGN, a paramilitary special operations unit, have been deployed in the region.
But Jones said it would appear the suspects are "a step or two ahead" of the authorities at the moment.
He added: "The indications at the moment suggest that they (police) are finding it difficult to get a grip on this fast-moving situation.
"Each time we arrive at an area where they have been sighted or there is some sort of suspicion of significant police activity, you get the feeling that things have moved on.
"This is such a fast moving situation, who knows where it will end up."
Officials have said the French nationals are linked to a Yemeni terror network.
On Wednesday night heavily armoured French police raided an apartment in the city of Reims in the search for the killers.
French officials said seven people were detained overnight.
Another suspect handed himself in to police after he was named on social media as 18-year-old Hamyd Mourad.
Sky sources say the teenager, who has been arrested, is the brother-in-law of the suspects.
There are reports that he was in school at the time of the attack and schoolmates have said he was on the bus with them at 7.30am and midday on Wednesday.
Tensions remain high in the country after a female police officer was fatally shot in southern Paris this morning.
A "criminal" blast was also reported at a kebab shop near a mosque in the eastern French town of Villefranche-sur-Saone. No one was injured.
Officials have not said either incident is linked to the attack on Charlie Hebdo.
Tributes to the victims have been left near the scene of yesterday's shooting at the magazine's offices and a minute's silence was held in the French capital for the victims of the attack.
French investigators found a dozen Molotov cocktails and two jihadist flags in the getaway car abandoned shortly after the massacre at the office's of the controversial satirical magazine.
A staff member at the magazine has said next week's issue will be published despite the bloodbath.
The publication, for next Wednesday, is to defiantly show that "stupidity will not win," Patrick Pelloux said, adding that the remaining staff will meet soon.
Downing Street said security has been increased at UK ports following the terror attack in Paris, although there is no specific threat to the country.
:: Sky News is running a poll on social media today: "Should the media publish satirical religious cartoons?". You can vote on Facebook or Twitter using hashtags #SkyPollYes or #SkyPollNo
:: A special report on the shootings at 4.30pm, 8.30pm and 9.30pm, can be watched live on skynews.com, our mobile apps and on channels Sky 501, Virgin Media 602, Freesat 202, Freeview 132.
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