>> you are watching live from paris. the top stories this hour -- french 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 and of thousands of

people have descended on paris to express solidarity with the victims. so the hunt continues. french police going door-to-door in a quiet village in cordy north of france. they are looking for these double men -- for these two men said kouachi and cherif kouachi. french born men of algerian origin. both are in their 30's. both are known to police. at our correspondent has more.

>> [indiscernible] >> police descended on the small town en masse. the manhunt surveyed by surveillance helicopters. the terrorists' car was abandoned here. residents are in shock. >> i turned around. >> did police ask all of the people in town to leave? >> yeah, lots of people. they had shotguns. we could not go in. >> on the national highway they recognize the faces of the two men. when they saw artillery in their vehicle, he called police. police mobilized immediately. there were police everywhere -- >> there were police everywhere.

so i had to come back the way i came. >> counterterrorism police and special forces are concentrating their thursday evening the search on the town of longpont. the government says the number one priority is preventing another terrorist attack in france. nine people are in custody in connection with yesterday shooting. police say they have no evidence to suggest the "charlie hebdo" killings are linked to a shooting early this morning where he policewoman was shot dead. no evidence that those two attacks were linked. this is the defense minister speaking earlier. >> two tragedies, one after the other, demonstrating extreme violence directed against both the freedom of the press and forces of order, and therefore against the state. this must elicit widespread condemnation and now a response.

>> well, of correspondent has been monitoring the political situation here in france. we were just listening to the interior minister there talking about how france remains in a situation of high alert. >> yes you talk about the extreme gravity of this moment that france is going through right now and you could hear of course in that particular soundbite, him talking about the level of commitment france has made to protecting people in the wake of the attack, that has been reflected in the number of policemen and soldiers out on the streets. over 10,000 on thursday with another 400 soldiers joining the ranks of policeman in the longpont region. that would be over 1000 on the streets of inner around the parisian capital. a huge amount of people and

policeman, agents out on the street. as you talked about the nine people in custody as part of the ongoing investigation into the attack on "charlie hebdo." that was not as we mentioned in relation to the shooting earlier today. there is no evidence linking those two as evidence according to bernard cazeneuve. this is the older of the brothers, said kouachi had been formally recognized as an assailant during that attacked. that will lend a lot more to that investigation and the manhunt currently underway in france. >> yes, still at large those two suspects in france. let's talk about the situation. francois hollande has been meeting with political rivals throughout the day to develop some kind of strategy. among them, of course the man he beat to win the presidency nicholas sarkozy, the former

president of france. >> absolutely, nicholas sarkozy has been here this morning, the first time since leaving office in 2012. he set down with francois hollande for about 30 minutes and our. the speech that francois hollande made a thursday was all about unity, all about coming together. it was quite repeated. a short speech the people had to be united, they had to come together, and that was the way france could eat its enemies and vanquish the people attacking the republican values of the nation. -- could beat its enemies and vanquish the people attacking the republican values of the nation. also, the question whether the national front of marine le pen will be invited -- she has complained that she has not been invited -- to take part. it will start at around 3:00 p.m. and it will symbolically

pass near the place where the attacks of place. the unp has said they do not think anyone should be excluded. but the socialist party said there was no place for the national front at this rally. we will see how this will pan out. they will sit down and talk. i imagine that they will be talking about it then. >> all right, thank you very much. let's get the latest on the manhunt. antiterrorist police and the town or close to the area where the suspects were last seen. our correspondent is in longpont the region where this is taking place. alex, what is the latest where you are? >> just to give you an idea, longpont is the biggest village in the area. 600 people live here.

it is a small, what seems like a sleepy community. very small, country lanes that people -- police are try to drive across and through to find these two men. it is said that they are on foot , that they left their car and started running on foot, and we actually had a chance to take quite a long drive along these small country roads and we were stopped at least twice by heavily armed policeman with full body gear, each time checking to see if we had our press cards and who exactly was in the car. it looks when you drive along the roads that it is business as usual until you reach the crossroads where you realize that somewhere in the dark there is a police car with two policeman waiting to see he might go past and checking who is using the roads of the moment. here in longpont just earlier

on today, they were actually going door by door with dogs again with heavy rifles in full body armor, knocking on doors, asking to go into people's houses to check in their backyards. and that is what is happening at the moment. again, you can probably see that it is dark here and it's not making things easier at the moment. >> all right, alex, for the moment, thank you very much indeed. alex temple there in longpont where police are carrying out an operation to try to find the two suspects behind yesterday fell attack. meanwhile here in paris, a city in morning, a national day of mourning has been declared here in france, thousands of people coming out of their houses and going down, and they have been there for hours. je suis charlie is the rallying

cry. markus karlsson has been there for hours. marcus, tell us what is going on. >> there are still hundreds, if not thousands of people on the square. there is a mixed mode. many people have come here in somber reference. many people have come to light candles. many people are gathering in somber remembrance of the fallen and the victims of yesterday's shooting. on my right side, you may be able to see the monument at the center. you may see some young people who have climbed up onto that monument. they are showing their defiance really. they are shouting that "charlie isn't dead." we are also hearing slogans like "we are not afraid." these are the chance that we have been hearing all night

long. we are also hearing the french national anthem. parisians and people are determined to come out, to show their defiance, to show they are not giving into the violence and they are not giving into the perpetrators of yesterday's attack against "charlie hebdo." >> when you categorize the kind of people that are down there? is it young people, old people, any common theme of people down there tonight? >> i would say that we are seeing people from all walks of life. i have even seen people here in jogging year as they passed by while out jogging and took a moment to remember the victims once again from yesterday. i've been talking to young people. i have been talking to old people, i haven't been asking people about the -- i have been asking people about the question of unity looking ahead, and whether they think this could

turn into some political acrimony, for instance, between the government and the far right? they say that they are hoping that is not going to happen. of course, they are scared that that may happen. the far right citizens may take advantage of the situation. at the same time, we are hearing pretty heartwarming stories. i got to talking to a muslim woman. she was wearing a headdress. it was obvious that she was muslim. they put the question to her whether she had encountered any animosity and she said exactly the opposite. she said, people are coming up to me, telling me how good it is to see me here. we are seeing and hearing some pretty heartwarming stories of national unity this evening. >> thanks very much. stay warm. i guess it is getting pretty chilly down there.

today was a day of mourning here in france. that has only happened a few times in this country is the second world war, flags at half mast. let's get a round up of the 24 hours of mourning here in france. [bells tolling] >> a moment of national unity. hundreds gathered to pray for the victims of the "charlie hebdo" attack. >> it was very moving. >> similar scenes played out across france also in schools and private companies. people young and old gathered to observe a moment of silence. >> how could they kill cartoonists? they just troop pictures and got killed for doing their job. >> weight came out to say that we will not allow ourselves to be terrorized.

we stand united and we are not afraid. >> we will rise again a national unity. >> emotions run high at "charlie hebdo" headquarters. many left photographs and pens in memory of the slain cartoonists. >> it is our culture, our flash. >> we need to fight for what they represented. they were the outpost of freedom. >> francois hollande paid his respects. the city lost two officers in the attack. flags are at half mast around the country, but the nation from messages strong. it will fight to protect freedom of expression, a core value of french society. >> there have been a rallies for beyond france, around the world speaking out against his most violent and showing solidarity

with france. >> je suis charlie. i am charlie. a french slogan that became international overnights. they gathered to pay their respects to the journalists and police officers killed at the "charlie hebdo" offices. young and old in hong kong held je suis charlie placards. they too saying france's national anthem. outside the french consulate in istanbul turks gathered holding je suis charlie signs,too. >> i stand firmly against these evidence, which have nothing to do with islam. >> at scotland yard in london,

police observed two minutes of silence. the chief constable made a statement and french to his colleagues across the channel. >> [speaking french] >> more peaceful gatherings are expected in the following days in and outside france, and "charlie hebdo" will publish one million copies of its next issue on wednesday as a determination to show that violence cannot stifle freedom of speech in france. >> it was lovely to see that british police officer they're showing his solidarity in french, wasn't it? >> it is quite remarkable.

you see people in countries around the world really moved and shocked by this attack. >> and the key is that last phrase the freedom of press, that is what is under attack. you would expect after the world trade center attacks or the bombings at the metros of new york or madrid, of course there is an outpouring of international solidarity. when something on that scale happens, a terrorist attack on that skill happens against innocents, this time it is a step forward -- further. it is not just solidarity with the french. it is also this sense -- 3.5 million times the #jesuischarlie has been tweeted on twitter. people are making the images all around the world to show solidarity. it is because what is under

attack is something that goes way beyond france's quarter. >> it is sacred, isn't it? >> it is sacred. and of course, they could not have chosen the target better. it was the softest of targets really. even if "charlie hebdo" has riled muslims around the world, they have taken on the political establishment here in france, the pope. there was no end of the people this publication was willing to offense. but it was also a part of friends that the french also feel very sensitive about. particularly soft targets. these were cartoonists. these were people devoted to their cause. they spoke it reverently often and with a certain amount of brashness, in favor of what they were supporting. again, against what they regarded as intolerance or things that could not be

regarded to continue as they were. they did it with humor, with intelligence, and this is what has been attacked. this is something that speaks to people way beyond the borders of france. something as soft as that, as close as it is to the very heart of our democracy, that it could have been attacked in such a horrible, such a bloody way. it has spoken to people around the world and touched a nerve in the hearts of people everywhere actually. >> listed, thanks very much. let's talk more about the suspect then. the three brothers -- the two brothers thought to have carried out the attack at the "charlie hebdo" headquarters yesterday. both were already known to police and had links to terrorism. we have more details. >> these are the two men french police are desperately trying to track down. cherif kouachi and his older

brothersaid -- brother said. they were both born in paris. the younger had dreams of becoming a rapper until he again making links with islamist extremists. he was sentenced to 18 months of prison in 2000 eight, convicted of involvement with a jihadist network. cherif too, was part of the network. >> he was part of this group of people who had issues. difficulty finding work. they could only do our jobs. i think he delivered pizzas at one time. and then suddenly, he had answers. it is not for me to judge, but they were answers adapted to certain religious questions he may have had at the time. >> when he was arrested, cherif kouachi was about to travel to

iraq to join the ranks of al qaeda. prosecutors say the young man would do it again tomorrow if he could. >> is islam off limits when it comes to satire? that is what many journalists are asking themselves. many are refusing to reprint the work of charb and his colleagues. we look at the implications for the free press. >> the concept of freedom of expression goes right to the heart of journalism. the staff of satirical magazine "charlie hebdo" were no different. >> we cannot live in a country without freedom of speech. i have a paper to do. >> no stranger to controversy, "charlie hebdo" went out of its

way to spark discussion, sparing no one from its critical eye. >> freedom of expression, to shock, to confront opinions, and that is what "charlie hebdo" was doing. whether you agree or not with what they were saying, they had the right to say it. >> the magazine close -- the magazine printing pictures of the prophet mohammed in 2006. they won the court case. it would not and there. "charlie hebdo" saw in addition that sparked the firebombing of its offices and a cyber attack. >> you can say this is too provocative. that is not what we're talking about here. we're talking about the use of violence, of murder to define the limits of freedom of expression within a society that

prizes this value. >> religion is always a contentious topic when it comes to criticism. however, what many fear now is that exceptions will be made. that certain exceptions will be made to the detriment of journalism as a whole. >> they are the ones getting information, helping people to make political, social economic decisions. the worst thing that could happen after this terrible attack is if we resort to self-censorship. then those who attacked and killed yesterday will have one. >> -- will have won. >> it is still hard to say what the outcome will be, but the outpouring of love around the world seems to indicate few would allow a violent minority to take that decision out of the hand of journalists. >> "charlie hebdo" continues

despite yesterday project. surviving staff say stupidity will not win and are vowing to put out a million copies of next week's edition. >> these men declared they took the magazine down after they shot and killed 12 people at "charlie hebdo." all among the victims, the main pillar of the magazine the cartoonists who were the heart and soul of the satirical paper. those who survived say they will continue printing. an army of friends have come to their site to make sure it keeps going. >> i tell you one thing. all the press and media needs to ensure "charlie hebdo" will continue its publication. it has to live. we have to give them a means to live. to protect them. >> french media outlets have

responded. all came forward to give a helping hand. another office offered to house the remaining staff like it did when "charlie hebdo" was firebombed in 2006. >> i am currently working on freeing up funds to give aid to "charlie hebdo" to ensure its future activities. >> it will publish a new edition next week, eight pages instead of 16, but larger in quantity. >> "charlie hebdo" says one million copies of the newspaper to be printed next wednesday. we are to look at the situation here in paris. thousands still gathering to

show solidarity with the victims of yesterday's attack and to condemn what happened. of france today, a country in mourning. francois hollande has been leading tributes to the dead. minutes of silence as a tribute across the country. a dramatic manhunt continues in the north of france where the two suspects, said kouachi and cherif kouachi was seen it robbing -- were seen

m pacifica, this is democracy now! >> the two men opened fire and killed two people, a journalists. the head of the newspaper, and a guest. according to a witness, one shooter shouted and affirmed you are avenging the profit for them. >> france is in a state of mourning after the deadly attack