to have you with us. we have this special coverage of france right now. a nation in mourning and a nation seeking two killers. heavily armed police are searching for two brothers wanted for killing 12 people at the satirical paper charlie hebdo. a northern town's under lockdown right now after two armed men resembling the suspect were spotted at a gas station. france has been observing a day of mourning. tensions remained high. a policewoman was shot and

killed in paris and mosques across the country have reportedly been attacked. welcome to the program. italy french police units have been hunting down the two men thought to be responsible for the massacre at charlie hebdo and are said to be tightening the net. >> france is at its highest security level, and thousands of police officers and soldiers are reported to be involved in the manhunt. >> will be going live to paris for the latest on that search. first, we begin this special coverage with the latest on that report. >> police converged about 80 kilometers northeast of paris. that followed reports that two men visibly the suspects were seen at a local gas station with a rocket launcher in their car and kalashnikovs. there were also reports the duo

robbed a gas station thursday morning. police launched an intensive search of the area. later, the scope was expanded to include the nearby town. again, unconfirmed reports circulated that the brothers were holed up in a house there. streets in the area were sealed off, but so far, police have not confirmed that the suspects are actually there. as night fell, the manhunt continued. >> a man told me that apparently, they abandoned their car and fled into the forest. don't go into the forest. >> the brothers have been identified. they are both french citizens born in paris. the younger brother, sharif, was sent to prison in 2008 for helping send islamist fighters to iraq.

the fact that he was already known to authorities means the government is facing questions about if the attack could have been prevented. >> this demonstrates the difficulties facing our security services. the sheer number of people who represent a danger. the suspects were definitely under observation, but there is no such thing as zero risk. it's a terrible thing to say because there are victims. there has been a terrible attack that has affected all of us. >> a third suspect surrendered to authorities overnight. sources say the 18-year-old is a brother-in-law of the men. classmates told french media he was in school at the time of the attacks. on thursday morning paris experienced another shock. an unidentified gunmen opened fire on the scene of a car accident, shooting dead a policeman. to the attack on charlie hebdo

has been established but police are treating it as an act of terrorism -- no link to the attack on charlie hebdo has been established. >> let's go to paris and max hoffman, who has been standing by. can you bring us up to date first of all on the manhunt? >> there seems to be some new development. there is a small village about 80 kilometers northeast of paris , and apparently, the two suspects have parked one of their getaway cars next to the forest and what police are thinking is that they are on foot now and went inside the forest. of course, journalists are kept at bay at the moment, but police are very strong in numbers at the moment trying to lock down that forest. we might be just a short way away from a breakthrough, although, of course, these things tend to be very fluid as you already said. >> there was another shooting

today -- a french policewoman shot and killed. is there any next to the attacks at charlie hebdo? >> what happens in these situations is that everything gets magnified. if you have a terrorist attack like the one that happened just behind me on wednesday, then every little detail that happened from then on is magnified. people looking for connections. of course, two dead people is not to be taken lightly, but the word is that there is no connection. >> we also are getting reports there have been retaliatory attacks on french mosques. what are you hearing about that? >> right, and again same thing magnifying. there were a couple of incidents last night and following up into today, but no one got hurt, so this might be the kind of thing that is happening on a daily basis, but everybody notices now because of what happened, of course, on wednesday but you

are right -- everybody is worried that there will be a backlash, not only in violence against the muslim community, but also politically. as many people know, you have an extreme right party in this country that plays with xenophobia feelings here very successfully. they had about a quarter of the vote last year or the european elections. the people are anxious that this might even increase after what happened here. >> can you give us an impression of the mood in paris today at the end of the day of national mourning? >> the eiffel tower was just -- just turned its lights off, and i cannot remember anything like that happening here in the last -- >> we are getting images of that right now. >> basically gives you an idea of how solemn the mood is here. where i'm standing, actually, people got goosebumps at 12:00

when there was a minute of silence, notably because of a course the very special atmosphere but all the journalists held up their press cards, being proud to be journalists. of course, journalists were affected by this attack. basically, what people were trying to express first of all was their solidarity with the victim but second of all, trying to show the world that france is still standing strong and that they are not afraid. >> max top for us on a very emotional day in paris in rants on a story that is still moving and moving very quickly. where the suspects -- were the suspects influenced and supportive from abroad, or were they right at home? the suspects were quickly identified in spider the fact that one of them, at least, was on a watchlist, and they were wearing masks as well. >> for the french police it still not clear what the background of these terrorists is. indeed, it appears a little bit

amazing that the french authorities were somewhat aware of the threats posed by these people. while the do not -- and yet they do not seem to have been under close supervision, so we have to see how the story develops, but undoubtedly, these people were radicalized through the internet and were not sent that al qaeda or another radical group, although they claim adherence to these terrorist groups. it is an important distinction to make because this terrorism we have seen in paris is really homegrown terrorism, not imparted from the middle east. >> speaking of homegrown terrorism, a lot of folks are turning about -- talking about no go areas where police no longer patrol. they are controlled by gangs some of which have ties to islamist groups. could that be what is going on? >> absolutely. this is a serious problem in france. integration has been more or less if a old issue in france. -- more or less a failed issue

in france. there has been wide ranging exclusion of a large part of the immigrant community. not only arabs but also black african immigrants, and this, of course breeds violence and hostility. not all these people are violent or hostile towards france, of course, but nevertheless, these poorer settlements are really a breeding ground for radical views, not only in terms of radical islam, but also in terms of right-wing extremism. it is also french people who live there, impoverished people, native wrench people so to speak. >> this attack is being called france's 9/11. is that a fair assessment? >> 9/11 is a different story in the sense that the consequences were far more far fetching, and at the same time, three thousand people were killed in the united states at that time. also it was really a major terror attack that was done on the technical competition of how to steer an airplane and crash

it into a skyscraper. this is a more modest way of terrorizing people. it is homegrown terrorism. it is a small group that planned these attacks. they did it and were successful, and this is a new brand of radical islam, islamic terrorism, small groups of people not being noticed by police. they attack and they are difficult to find. >> stay with us if you would. we have more questions in the course of our special coverage this evening. >> at 12:00 noon, local time, people across france observed a moment of silence in memory of the victims. >> not just in france, but people all over the world have been joining and demonstrations to show their solidarity with the french people. >> the bells of notre dame cathedral, the overriding sound during a minute of silence at midday. people throughout france's to

honor the victims of the charlie hebdo attack. the crime has horrified the nation. president francois hollande observed the minute of silence at police headquarters. it was a gesture of support for the work of france's security forces. earlier, hollande shared a court -- crisis cabinet meeting. france has been on its highest security alert since wednesday's attack. there are tears of further attacks, but citizens have been assured the situation is under control -- there are fears of further attacks. >> we have mobilized all horses -- forces. we welcome the outpouring of support by the french people.

and we want you to know that we will do everything to protect our freedom, our democracy, and our tolerance. >> the attackers stormed the offices of the charlie hebdo satirical magazine with automatic weapons in a cold-blooded strike believed to be rooted in islamism. a day after the attack, citizens came to the building where the massacre took waste. >> it's so sad. words cannot express it. >> i'm here to support freedom of expression. >> i wanted to show solidarity with the newspaper with the journalists, and the policeman. the whole of rance was hurt by what happened yesterday. >> this is overwhelming.

i don't know what to think. >> france remains in shock over an attack certain to linger in people's thoughts for some time to come. >> leading muslim clerics have called on imams across the country to preach against the killings during friday prayers tomorrow. >> france is home to 5 million muslims, the biggest proportion in all of europe. some are concerned that the charlie hebdo killings will deepen the divide between them and the country's non-muslim geordie. -- majority. >> they want to show their respect for the victims and their support or free speech. many of those turning out our muslims. >> as a muslim, i cannot accept is like this. islam is a peaceful religion, a religion of love. we tolerate and respect other

religions. islam never condones violence. they have hailed to understand. -- they have failed to understand. >> clerics at the great mosque in paris called on imams to preach against terrorism at friday prayers. the head of the democratic muslims in france asked imams to warn young people about the dangers of radical influences. >> these radical acts immediately make people wonder what will happen next. this is not islam. it is important to tell young people to stop listening to what they hear on their social networks. they should stop listening to radical imams because they are on the road to ruin. >> some french muslims are worried they could now be increasingly subjected to suspicions or worse. after the killings, attacks were reported overnight on mosques and other muslim buildings in a

number of wrench cities -- french cities. >> it's definitely going to make things worse. it's going to turn people against muslims. and those who were against islam already will feel justified. they will say that all muslims are potential terrorists. >> islam a phobic sentiment has been on the rise in rants for a long time. many of the countries muslims -- many of the country's muslims feel that they are heavily discriminated against. >> wearing a veil, you get nasty looks all the time. people insult you. i'm sure it will get worse now. people will be pointing fingers at us even more. >> we are sick of being criticized when there is an attack. it is not islam that carries them out. >> moderate french muslims

increasingly feel pressure from radical elements on one side and anti-islamic sentiment on the other. but the message from the overwhelming majority of french muslims is clear -- a rejection of islands in all its forms. -- a rejection of violence in all its forms. >> for more, we cross over to the pakistani capital islamabad. from what you have been hearing are the west and muslim world on the same page in the condemnation of the terror attack? >> in this particular instance, i think most of the pakistanis, the mainstream political parties, and the west of here to be on the same page. the reaction has been in the next one of outrage and a condemnation reflected in a number of social media messaging as well as the condemnation by the minister of war and affairs.

the pakistani president has also written to his french counterpart expressing his condolences for this tragic incident. generally, i think this incident has not gone down well at all, and it has drawn a lot of criticism also on the people who -- the right-wing people who have celebrated this as an active -- act of revenge for the humiliation of the prophet mohammed. >> pakistan is fighting its own battle against islamist militants killed. more than 100 units at a school and pet shower, recently. the government has been pursuing a policy of executing imprisoned extremists. is that policy likely to continue? >> i think the government has made it very clear to continue with that policy -- in fact, even more stringent laws have been introduced, with the result by the government that all those terrorist who have been awaiting

executions would be sent to gallows. i think in view of the situation, particularly this latest incident involving the death of nearly 150 students and their teachers into shower, we do not see any let-up. the legal legislative news seems to have been tightening around all those groups who have been buttoning and intimidating the interests of the people of pakistan and the state of pakistan. >> thanks for joining us from islamabad with reactions french attacks. >> we are back now with our security expert in the studio. we just heard about pakistan, very porous border jihadist coming across from afghanistan. are we starting to see a similar situation in europe in france?

is that a threat? could european jihadist return from syria and stage these types of attacks? >> in theory, this might happen, but so ar, there's no indication these people are already flowing back in order to prepare attacks in europe. the situation in europe and france is quite different from the one in pakistan. pakistan is more or less a ailed state. there's a war in neighboring afghanistan. it's a very complicated issue also the involvement of the americans has an very problematic in that part of the world. in france, the situation is very different, but yes indeed, theoretically, this could happen in the future. however, french sociologist have done research on people returning from syria and iraq after a couple of years or some months fighting, and most of those returnees were very much disillusioned about what they experience in syria and iraq, and they very much dislike the islamic state and radicalism, so

not necessarily each and everyone who returns from that part of the world will become violent once he is back to europe. >> that's a good development. what about germany? should germany prepare its all for an attack of this kind, this scale -- should germany prepare itself? >> that is the question everyone is asking. the answer is yes and no. there is no immediate threat in germany, at least. there is no indication whatsoever -- at least that's what we hear from security forces and from the minister of the interior, that an attack in germany be imminent, but nevertheless, i mean, it is not to be excluded that radicalize people or homegrown terrorist in germany also developed this lust for violence. >> looked look at the french attacks -- how can these type of attacks be prevented? >> very difficult because it is a social issue, a societal issue. there are many factors interconnected, and it will take

france and europe many years to find this extremism, the extremism of radical muslims and also the extremism of the extreme right. >> thanks so very much for that. well the attack in paris is continuing to send shockwaves around the world. german chancellor angela merkel was among those strongly condemning the killings. she visited the french embassy in berlin today, signing the book of condolences there. the attack has taken on a special significance here in germany. >> that's because many here that the paris terror attacks could be exploited by an anti-islam movement that has been gaining popularity in some parts of this country. it could unleash a backlash against muslims. >> that movement is an acronym for patriotic europeans against the islamization of the west. >> germany's foreign minister visited the impromptu memorial.

he echoed chancellor merkel's words in condemning the terror attack. >> this is an attack on our common values. the values of freedom and democracy. it was an attack on the heart of a nation that fought for those values on behalf of all europeans. >> in germany as elsewhere there has been shock and anger at the killings. politicians have warned that resentment could further fuel the growing wave of anti-islamization movements led by groups. populist anti-euro parties and far right groups including the npd. >> i am disgusted by the way these groups are trying to take advantage of this attack to promote their agendas. tarring all muslims with the same brush is both divisive and indy area.

-- incendiary. >> one group says it will hold a major demonstration in dresden on monday. >> from finding out about an attack like the one on charlie hebdo to sharing the grief and outrage that hollows, the prism for viewing such a tragedy is often social media. >> within hours of the attack in paris, perhaps the most visible reaction was online, people sharing cartoons in defiance of the attackers and proper -- proudly saying je suis charlie. >> the #jesuischarlie went viral on social media. many of this came from cartoonists who wanted to show the attack would not stop them from exercising their right to free expression. freedom is under attack, one dutch cartoonist tweeted.

his drawings retweeted thousands of times. a cartoonist called for his colleagues to take up arms, the tools of the cartoonist trade. another showed a gunman saying he drew first. even pope francis launched his own #-- hashtag, #prayersforparis. george abela --deutsche welle journalists also responded in solidarity with the attack. >> a new survey of public attitudes shows a growing unease with islam, with a considerable majority of the country feeling it has no place in western society. >> at the same time, it finds that the muslims living in germany are more liberal, more patriotic than is often portrayed in the media. >> over 4 million muslims call germany home.

in the new study carried out most describe themselves as fairly or very religious. but they also have open attitudes toward social issues. the study shows their values are more liberal than often assumed. 88% of muslims in germany believe democracy is the best form of government. for the highly religious, that number is even higher and 90%. 67% of less religious muslims are in favor of same-sex marriage. 40% of the devout agree. despite these attitudes, a growing number of germans think muslims do not belong. as a religious minority, they suffer from prejudices. >> the majority of the population confuses media coverage of the mentalist terrorism in other countries with the question of coexistence between muslims and non-muslims

in germany. they are two completely different areas that have nothing to do with each other. >> two years ago 53% of germans viewed islam as a threat. now it is 57%. in 2012, 52 percent of germans believed islam does not fit in with the western world. that has now climbed to 61%. in germany, fear of islam is highest in areas with the fewest muslims. those who have less content -- contact have a much less open attitude. >> one item of other world news before we go -- islamist group boko haram has killed at least 100 people and destroyed 16 towns in the latest round of violence in northeastern nigeria. >> the killings follow the capture of a nigerian army base by boko haram fighters over the weekend. hundreds reportedly fled the attacks. boko haram began its campaign to establish a caliphate in nigeria in 2009. thousands have been killed and over one million displaced by the fire.

>> recapping our main story with the latest of elements for you now -- france's observing a day of mourning for the 12 terms of wednesday's attack at the paris offices of a satirical magazine, charlie hebdo. a few moments ago, lights were turned off at the eiffel tower. >> details are sketchy. we know police have dissented on a small town in northern france after reports the two brothers suspected in the attacks were seen there. there are also reports the two robbed a gas station earlier in the day. >> will have the latest at the top of the hour here at dw on the story. stay with us.

ench police are closing in on the "charlie hebdo" killers. they have been named as said kouachi and cherif kouachi. meanwhile in a paris suburb, an unarmed policewoman shot dead and another injured. there is no evidence the two shootings are connected. that shooter also still at large. president francois hollande leading the nation and a moment of silence