BREAKING NEWS: Live Updates 12 Dead In Paris Terror Attack

Gunfire erupted near the Paris office of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, Paris officials say.

Masked gunmen stormed the offices of a French satirical newspaper Wednesday, killing 12 people before escaping, police and a witness said. The weekly has previously drawn condemnation from Muslims.

11 dead including 2 police in Paris terror attack. Pres Hollande says other recent attacks have been thwarted pic.twitter.com/rx9cbXPVYy

— KING 5 News (@KING5Seattle) January 7, 2015

The deadly terror attack in Paris tops our summary of the news you need to know this morning: http://t.co/UahNX6o5xK pic.twitter.com/XGf66YN09u

— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 7, 2015

TERROR in Paris: 10 dead in attack on offices of satire mag #CharlieHebdo pic.twitter.com/6llGIdofxj

— Dan Gabriel (@danpgabriel) January 7, 2015

French President Francois Hollande called the slayings a terrorist attack and said that several other terror attacks have been thwarted “in recent weeks.”

Xavier Castaing, head of communications for the Paris police prefecture, confirmed the deaths in the shooting at the offices of Charlie Hebdo, a satirical weekly that been repeatedly threatened for publishing caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad, among other controversial sketches.

Paris is now at the highest alert level.

The magazine has published anti-ISIS and Prophet Mohammed cartoons in the past.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VYlQJbsVs48