Massive French Manhunt, One Surrenders
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Vol. 4, No. 8
I Am Charlie: The two primary suspects in yesterday’s Paris massacre are believed to have robbed a gas station 100 miles north of Paris, taking food and gasoline. A third suspect turned himself in and seven people have been detained for questioning.
In an incident that may be related, a gunman shot and killed a female police officer and a street sweeper south of Paris.
A massive manhunt is underway after 12 people were murdered and 11 wounded Thursday in France’s deadliest terror attack since World War II.
French authorities say they have identified the gunmen as two brothers, Said and Cherif Kouachi, 32 and 34, and Hamyd Mourad, 18, who turned himself in about 145 miles northeast of Paris. French news agencies say the brothers were born in France, raising the specter of homegrown terrorism.
Tens ofthousands of people gathered in Paris last night holding up pens as a sign of a free press and placards saying “Je suis Charlie” in support of the journalists killed at the offices of the satirical magazine “Charlie Hebdo.” The slogan has already become an Internet meme.
One of the gunmen was recorded on video shouting in French, “Hey! We avenged the Prophet Muhammed! We killed Charlie Hebdo.” The magazine has been bluntly critical and satirical in its portrayals of Muslims and the Prophet Muhammed.
The gunmen forced an arriving cartoonist to let them in with her security code and went straight to the editorial meeting where they killed editor Stéphane Charbonnier and his bodyguard. Eight journalists, a guest and two police officers were among the dead. One of the officers was shot in the head as he lay wounded in the street.
Witnesses said the gunmen were cool and methodical. One even stopped to pick up a loose sneaker before he got in the car and left.
Charbonnier, 47, known as “Charb,” understood he was in danger. He once said, “I am not afraid of reprisals, I have no children, no wife, no car, no debt. It might sound a bit pompous, but I’d prefer to die on my feet rather than living on my knees.”
Mud Medicine: Researachers have discovered a new way to produce antibiotics by extracting bacteria from dirt, according to an article in the journal Nature. The drug called teixobactin shows promise of being a powerful infection killer to which bacteria will not develop a resistance as with other antibiotics.
The Cosby Show: Three more women came forward yesterday to accuse comedian Bill Cosby of drugging and raping them between 1981 and 1986. But former “Cosby Show” co-star Phylicia Rashad is defending him. She told Showbiz reporter Roger Friedman, “Forget these women. What you’re seeing is the destruction of a legacy. And I think it’s orchestrated. I don’t know why or who’s doing it, but it’s the legacy. And it’s a legacy that is so important to the culture.”
Cold: Grand Forks, 6; Minneapolis, 7; Chicago, -3; New York, 14.
The Sports Page: Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston says he’s leaving with two years of college eligibility left to enter the NFL draft and play professional ball next season. He won the Heisman Trophy as a redshirt freshman. Winston leaves a two-sided legacy. A woman who accused him of rape filed a lawsuit against FSU claiming they failed to do anything about it. Winston was never disciplined or criminally charged.
Love Story: Nicholas Sparks, the master of weepy love novels including “Message in a Bottle” and “The Notebook,” has split with his wife of 25 years. Love conquers all in his books and movies, but not at home.
Kirby Detlauter: Frederick, Md. City councilman Kirby Delauter threatened to sue his local newspaper for unauthorized use of his name, even though he is an elected public official and fair game for news coverage. The Frederick News-Post then published an editorial making fun of Delauter and printing his name 24 times. The editorial was titled “Kirby Delauter, Kirby Delauter, Kirby Delauter.” Make that 27.
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