French prime minister announces 'several arrests' in Charlie Hebdo case

Peter Weber, The Week US's avatar
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French prime minister announces 'several arrests' in Charlie Hebdo case
(Image credit: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

French police made "several arrests" in their overnight manhunt for the two at-large suspects in Wednesday's murderous attack on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, Prime Minister Manuel Valls told French radio early Thursday. Valls added that preventing another attack "is our main concern," and the two suspected gunmen — brothers Said Kouachi, 32, and Cherif Kouachi, 34 — were known to law enforcement and were undoubtedly being followed before the attack.

A French interior ministry spokesman elaborated to the BBC, saying that police had detained seven friends and relatives of the suspects overnight. A third suspect, Hamyd Mourad, 18, has turned himself in to police.

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Peter Weber, The Week US
Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.