French police

A raid by France’s elite anti-terrorist unit was under way late Wednesday in the northeastern city of Reims as part of the hunt for the gunmen who attacked the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris.

Either the suspects will be able to escape, or “there will be a showdown”, said a member of the unit, urging journalists at the scene to remain “vigilant”.

Local television showed black-clad sharpshooters from the elite police unit in the streets of Reims, in France’s Champagne region, as unconfirmed media reports named three suspects in the attack, including two brothers.

Several thousand police were deployed to find the gunmen and parts of the French capital were in lockdown as the killers remained on the loose.

The AFP quoting sources said the policemen may be specifically be hunting three men, including two brothers, suspected of carrying out the attack.

Police are searching for two brothers in their thirties, including one who was sent to prison in 2008 for participating in jihadist networks attempting to send fighters to Iraq. The third suspect is aged 18,the source added.