A few days ago, we commemorated the 10th anniversary of the January 2015 attacks in Paris. On that date, a series of terrorist attacks took place in Paris, marking one of the most tragic episodes in France’s recent history. In the space of 3 days, the French capital became the site of several orchestrated terrorist attacks, aimed directly at the freedom of expression and cultural diversity that characterise the city.
I. 7 January 2015: The Charlie Hebdo attack
On 7 January 2015, a day that will remain engraved in the collective memory of the French, two brothers, Chérif and Saïd Kouachi, aged 32 and 34, attacked the offices of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris. The two assailants, armed with assault rifles, killed 11 people, including 8 members of the newspaper’s editorial staff, as well as police officers and a guest. The attack was linked to the newspaper’s publication in 2006 of a caricature of the Prophet Mohammed, which sparked strong protests among many Muslims. The victims included the cartoonist Cabu, who died in the attack. A few hours later, they claimed responsibility in the name of al-Qaeda, an Islamic terrorist organisation.
The attack was followed by a major police mobilisation, and the two brothers were pursued by the police.
II. Amedy Coulibaly: from the murder in Montrouge to the hostage-taking at Hyper Cacher
The day after this massacre, on 8 January 2015, another attack took place in the Paris region. Amedy Coulibaly, a 32-year-old radical Islamist, attacked a municipal policewoman, Clarissa Jean-Philippe, in Montrouge, south of Paris. He killed her before fleeing towards Paris.
On 9 January 2015, he went to a kosher supermarket in Vincennes, the Hyper Cacher, where he took 25 people hostage for nearly 4 hours, four of whom were killed in the shop. After a few hours, Coulibaly called the famous French news channel, BFMTV, to reveal that he had a link with the Kouachi brothers.
Coulibaly also claimed responsibility in the name of the Islamic State jihadist organisation.
III. 9 January 2015: The end of the hostage-taking and the intervention of the forces of law and order
After 48 hours of terror, France is still in shock.
- The neutralisation of the Kouachi brothers
After committing the murder, the Kouachi brothers’ aim was to hide and escape from the authorities, who were launching a nationwide hunt. They took refuge in a printing works in Dammartin-en-Goële, a small town about 40 kilometres from Paris. They arrived there on the morning of 9 January. Inside the printing works were 2 employees, one hidden in a cupboard, the other taken hostage.
When the Kouachi brothers were located, a security perimeter was quickly set up around the printing works. The authorities launched a large-scale operation, deploying negotiators and special forces in an attempt to force them to surrender. However, the attackers refused to surrender and continued to claim responsibility in the name of al-Qa’ida. They were well aware that they were surrounded and that escape would be very difficult.
The siege of the printing works lasted several hours. As the situation deteriorated, the assault was launched by the RAID (the French police’s specialised intervention brigade) shortly after midday. The police entered the building, killing the two Kouachi brothers in the ensuing exchange of fire. The employee taken hostage was released unharmed.
The printing works thus became the symbolic site of the end of their murderous journey, bringing to a close one of the greatest terrorist hunts in France.
2. The elimination of Amedy Coulibaly
At the same time, at Hyper Cacher, the forces of law and order launched an assault. Members of the RAID entered the supermarket, where an intense exchange of fire took place. Coulibaly was killed during the assault, putting an end to the hostage-taking. The remaining hostages were freed, but the attack still claimed four victims: Yohan Cohen, 22, Franck Brinsolaro, 49 (the shop’s security guard), Philippe Braham, 45, and Yoav Hattab, 21.
The attack at Hyper Cacher was seen as a symbolic attack on the Jewish community.
Finally, these three days of terror came to an end, but the human cost was heavy: 17 victims in all, not counting the injured.
This extreme violence plunged France into deep shock. The country, used to social tensions, was faced with an attack targeting one of its most emblematic institutions: the free press.
The attack sparked a wave of international solidarity for freedom of expression, symbolised by the slogan « Je suis Charlie » (« I am Charlie »).
