but back at it publishing a series of cartoons depicting muhammad, even a nude muhammad. here's the paper's top editor. >> translator: the purpose is that it doesn't create any more problems and that we can talk about islam and france as we talk about all the other subjects, as we talk about all the other religions. >> the last tweet sent by the newspaper was a cartoon featuring abu bakr al baghdadi. >> thank you. my next guest has been taken to court for what he has said. don't say you weren't warned, mark, thank you for being here tonight. i know you knew some of the men who worked at this publication. your thoughts on what we have seen in paris today. >> yes, they were very brave. this was the only publication that was willing to publish the muhammad -- the danish muhammad cartoons in 2006. i'm proud to have written for the only canadian magazine to publish those muhammad cartoons. and it's because the "new york times" didn't and the london times didn't and all the other great newspapers of the world didn't. only charlie hebdo and mine and a few others did. but they we

the teachings of prophet muhammad,there are excerpts there which say do not depict muhammad.'t depict jesus or moses either. not because moses or muhammad is some holier than thou figure. they don't want muslims to pray to these figures. they saw christians putting simpreesz christ up praying to christ. they say, you pray to god. we don't pray to muhammad up. pray to god. this is this idea this philosophy that somehow if you depict muhammad in some way, it requires a death sentence it's made up. it's fiction. it's literally made up fiction. there's no penalty like that in the koran. it does not exist in any level. >> by the way, there are other religions that have that same kind of belief system. there is the prohibition against engraven images in christian beliefs within biblical teachings. from the muslim community, every time something like this happens, unique to a lot of other communities, perhaps other than african-americans, there is a focus on the entire community as being represented by these individual groups. is that still a problem? do you still feel like that is

muhammad. this hand gesture with the raised index finger this has been a signal of jihadis for many years. it's been popularized by isis. it's very popular amongst all these jihadis. it means victory. and it also means the oneness of god, there's only one ideology and all others have to be destroyed. >> i'm also mindful of these people who are taking this video and seeing all of this play out in front of their very eyes. tell me what you saw. >> well the amateur video there shows us these two gunmen one of them clearly yelling out to no one in particular really. this is to avenge the prophet muhammad. we have avenged the prophet muhammad several times, with that finger pointed up in the air. i think most striking is their demeanor. it's their behavior. it's how calm they are as they sort of rearrange their weaponry reload get back in the car, and then come face to face with that police vehicle. you hear some single shots that presumably come from pistols. police officers carry pistols in this c

the gunmen shouting out we have ae avenged the prophet muhammad. he said he had no fear drawing the cover. >> it wasn't the cover page the terrorists wanted us to produce. there was no terrorists. it's just man who is crying. we have drawn him again. the muhammad is a bubble of a man that cries. >> reporter: at times emotions overwhelmed him. >> the people are just simply who lacked humor and to take things very seriously very literally. >> reporter: a once lonely magazine with millions of fans. even the french president embracing the journalist. the same journalists who pointed their pens at him. will it continue? the editor of liberation said he will help charlie indefinitely with whatever else they need. in fact that newspaper has reprinted the charlie magazine cover on its front page tomorrow morning. i'm going to be watching in a couple of hours when this magazine go on sale to see if the newsstands are nervous. three million copies going on sale. many people will be lining up to buy a copy. >> thank you. again, those fears coming in part from

we have avenged the prophet muhammad we have avenged the prophet muhammad.hen there's something indistinct we can't determine what exactly they're saying. but it concludes with the words, chilling words, al qaeda yemen. we're watching this video. let's bring in our experts once again. joining us our global affairs analyst, lieutenant colonel jamie reese paul cruickshank and bob baer. when he raises his hand that was a deliberate signal in your mind right, paul? >> i think that's clearly a deliberate signal. we've seen that a lot from isis fighters in video. this is now a signal which is very popular amongst jihadists. all around the world. it's their version of the victory signal we're going to be number one, but also the oneness of god and also that there's just one legitimate ideology it's ours and every other world view needs to be fought wolf. >> what's your analysis, bob baer of how powerful this video will be? you know that the terrorists are going to use it for propaganda purposes. >> well, exactly, wolf. they are making this attack in central paris a

basically he said that muhammad, show me what muhammad brought that was new and you'll find things eviluman such as the spread by the sword of their faith. then this week pope francis says that one cannot provoke those of faith and uses an example that if someone said a curse word about his mother that they should expect a punch. he said that was normal. is this pope blaming the victims? >> it certainly sounds that way, judge, doesn't it? it doesn't sound like a very christian response. i don't know what happened to turn the other cheek, but what i can tell you is that if somebody says a curse word about your mother, you should absolutely not expect a punch in return. the way to address comments that you don't like is with more words and more conversation. not with violent actions. and in fact, that kind of remark by the pope feeds exactly into the islamist narrative that if you show a cartoon or make a comment or have a film that they find offensive, that they have every right to commit violence. i'm both disappointed and surprised that he made a comment like that. >> you know, it kind

but the muhammad is above a man that cries.ank you very much. >> the man who drew the cover of "charlie hebdo". kind of apologizing there. he of course talked about the weight of the emotion when he drew it. the sole survivor of the attack. >> the new issue is on sale. once again featuring a cartoon of the prophet muhammad as we heard, with the resign "all is forgiven." he's also holding a sign that says "je suis charlie." "i am charlie." >>> one cartoonist remains off the grid after she drew the prophet muhammad in 2010. an al qaeda leader called for her death, and other threats followed. >> they were taken seriously enough for the fbi to convince her to go into hiding. the story of molly norris. >>> i've been grieving for four years. >> reporter: it's been that long since tim appleo has seen or heard from his colleague and friend molly norris. a seattle cartoonist who went into hiding in 2010 after receiving death threats from radical islamists. >> she is the unlikeliest person to be at the center of an international incident

because that newspaper had printed cartoons of the muslim prophet muhammad. after they left they left a scene of carnage. 12 people killed including two police. 11 people injured including four critically. there was another shootout with police. one policeman was executed. and another shootout and then they were gone. 500 added reinforcements are now with police searching for them. and also according to french president hollande guarding the various public facilities here in paris and across france to make sure this doesn't happen again as this french country grieves. ask my cameraman pierre just to shoot what we are standing next to. it is a makeshift memorial that has been building hour by hour. you see the candles, the flowers, the messages. there have been big rallies here and really across europe because not only have people been killed, but the idea of freedom of expression that you can put whatever you want in a newspaper and put it out there might have been injured today in the attack as well. the people here are saying no way. there will be three day

shouting that they had avenged the prophet muhammad. watch.espite praising the prophet and the brothers' tribute to al qaeda, the obama administration today still refusing to call these terror suspects, quote, radical islamists. the president of act for america, which is the nation's largest nonprofit organization devoted to promoting national security, and allen, the host of the nationally syndicated television show. some say listen, this administration has been very careful about its relationship to the muslim community and wanting to build bridges. some say though now, when we're talking about these specific individuals that there are sbesk are specific words to use, the white house says no. >> president obama has systematically since he came into office avoided calling anything relating to islam and terrorism together. as soon as he became president, in 2009 he changed the threat assessment plan for the nation. and took out every word relating to islam, islamic radicalism islamic terrorism, jihad or jihadism. in 2010 he purged all our coun

images of muhammad depictions cartoons of the prophet muhammad are highly offensive to some muslims. we have seen some websites and some french media share this cover and share it widely. it's available online. there are news organizations like cnn that feel not only would it be offensive to the audience but it could be a safety risk for staff, for crews in the field. >> they held up a printed copy at the news conference but they didn't hand them out at the time. expected to be on the newsstands overnight. >> some folks are waking up extra early to go to the newsstand tomorrow morning. >>> coming up for us next tracking the killers here. french authorities knew alarming details about two of the terrorists in the attacks here as recently as one year ago. so why did they let them out of their sights? details ahead. >>> also ahead "@ this hour," u.s. central command, social media accounts hacked by isis supporters. damage that was done and the fallout ahead. in my world, wall isn't a street... return on investment isn't the only return i'm looking forward to. for some every dollar is ea

the cartoon of the prophet muhammad is on the cover. and of course that picture is considered to be offensive by many muslims. some jihadist websites are already calling for more attacks in response to this. police this morning are still seeking suspects that they believe are connected to the attacks here last week the one behind me at "charlie hebdo" and also at the kosher supermarket. we learn yesterday that one man had been arrested in bulgara on the border with turkey. he was picked up on january 1st. he was arrested now, believed to have some kind of connection to a terror group. and there are reports that he had contacts with at least one of the kouachi brothers before the attacks here. there is other new evidence coming into public view. new video of the chilling moments immediately after the attacks on "charlie hebdo." you can see the kouachi brothers cherif and said declaring vengeance in the name of muhammad. they get out of their car so calmly eerie calculated calm and then confront police are automatics weapons fire. all of

it is aimed at radicals who are using muhammad for their own political gain. it's a very nuanced argument. it was a fascinating conversation. i got a lot more, obviously, from there. including his reaction to the pope's criticism, lester. >> chuck, thanks. remind folks you can watch chuck's full interview with the new editor in chief in "charlie hebdo" on "meet the press". >>> there is a manhunt going on in several states tonight for a young couple from kentucky who have allegedly been on a crime spree for two weeks. they may be armed and are considered dangerous. the girl is just 13 years old. we get that story tonight from nbc's kristen dahlgren. >> reporter: for sherri peters, this isn't a hunt for a so-called teen bonnie and clyde, it's a search for her 13-year-old daughter. >> i've called her every day. i've texted her, cheyenne, please come home. i love you. i miss you. >> reporter: police say cheyenne phillips and 18-year-old dalton hayes are on a crime spree across several states. nothing violent, but they worry the teens now have two stolen handguns a

normally drawing muhammad is not a thing i have to do.hen i see mass murder on the basis of free speech i'm compelled to do so. i wanted to draw him to show solidarity. >> take me through the frames. basically what you were trying to express here toif draw him but i can't. >> i can't but afraid of being dead. that was a satirical trope. everyone is afraid fear is pervasive based on what's going on today. those drawing muhammad but their way of reacting to fear is sticking the eye in the eye of the censors. mine was more sad satire sad serious satire on how -- i'm sorry, my mind went blank. >> how difficult it is. >> i just want to say when you're begging someone, can i draw just an eye, an eye lash it gets into the absurdity. >> show us your last frame. >> hold it up to the camera. your point was you were just trying to show an eyeball. you were just trying to ask, can i show an eyeball is the question. >> i don't know if this is going to be unacceptable by cnn or international standards when you're just showing half an eye, only half an

once again, the prophet muhammad is on the cover. just moments ago, at the location where i'm standing which has become the organic growing memorial to those killed at "charlie hebdo" they had a visit from the u.s. ambassador to france. she came to pay respects to lay thing wreath. i had a chance to ask her about the controversy that has been brewing in the united states and here about the fact the united states did not send a higher level official to attend that unity rally. she discussed it with me. >> you know i marched and i spoke to president hollande right before the march. he was so positive about the u.s. and about our president going over to the french embassy and thanked us for everything that we had done. i had been in contact with them through the days. they know our support. i did not get into the logistics. i did march behind him. it was moving to see the french government march arm in arm. >> the white house press secretary josh ernest says the white house regrets not sending a higher level official. the ambassador has

they've been publishing cartoons of the prophet muhammad for several years. the french government had been saying please stop it please don't make things worse. now the editor in chief was saying he will abide by the laws of france on blasphemy and press freedom. he wasn't going to be -- what he should and shouldn't be done at charlie hebdo. he gave an interview in 2012 which he reinforce thd desire to uphold -- and he said at the time it might sound a bit pompous pompous, but i prefer to die standing than live on my knee. >> thank you for joining us. now joining us with response to today easter's terror tack, ed henry. a lot of criticism? >> he was, sean initially. ask then josh earnest sort of amended that and said, yes, it was a terror attack. and the president who by the way was caught off guard as well he wanted today to be all about an event where he was cheerleading the economy in detroit the rebound of the auto industry. he had to pull together top advisers and the vice president secretary of state john kerry and the oval office to say, wait a second

and in muhammad's eye is a tear. the cartoonist who drew the cover broke down today as he was describing how he created what he calls a drawing of catharsis. >> translator: i looked at it and he was crying. and then above, i wrote, everything is forgiven and then i cried and that was the cover page. we had found the cover page. we had finally got this wretched cover page and it was our own cover page. it wasn't the cover page that the terrorists wants us to produce. there are no terrorists. there is just a man who is crying and that's muhammad. i'm sorry we've drawn him again, but the muhammad we've drawn is above all a man that cries. >> that is the cartoonist that istcartoonist. he survived wednesday's attack because he was late to work that day. the same day his colleagues were gunned down. with me now, president of the muslim association of london. thank you for joining me. >> thank you. >> you heard that cartoonist's explanation. despite that i understand your reaction to the cover has been disgust and annoyance

in algeria they burned the french flag chanting i am not charlie, i am muhammad. two days of rioting have left as many as eight people dead after christian homes were looted. this weekend of rage comes as european security forces continue to hunt down terror suspects following last week's bloodshed in france. bill neely once again leads off our coverage from paris. bill good evening. >> reporter: good evening, lester. this crisis started with a massacre at a small magazine here in paris. the aftershocks are now spreading around the world. there have been violent protests in a dozen muslim countries. police are still questioning suspects across europe. troops are patrolling here in france and in belgium. there is fear in europe and fury elsewhere. france once ruled french africa today, serious crowds burned churches and killed. french citizens were warned to stay home. the mob crying for revenge after "charlie hebdo" once again cartoons of the prophet muhammad. in north algeria police struggle to contain crowds. thousands enraged in another former french colony. th

but the muhammad we drew is a man crying. >> when he saw muhammad crying suddenly he believed he could translator: he cried. yes, he cried. but you see, i just want to tell you something, when i looked at it i cried but it make me laugh. and to do a cover that is funny. maybe you don't know that it may be a little less funny than usual. but i was at a ceremony for the three cops that lost their lives. and i also thought of all those people who lost their lives, the people who were walking with me, with us. i was thinking of mustafa. he was muslim. i was also thinking of ahmed, who died. he was a muslim. perhaps he didn't like "charlie," or perhaps he found it funny. and then i thought, we are still "charlie." i am "charlie." i am a cop. i am jewish. but i am also muslim. because the terrorist who attacked us -- >> and finally, he told us his hopes for artists and journalists, including "the new york times" throughout the world. >> translator: we can give ideas and all over the world we can -- through the world, we really will have one. ♪ ♪ ♪ you're only young once. unless you have a su

in this case there's the prophet muhammad on this cover, as you know.the l.a. times," fox news has chosen to publish this cover. it's led to a big debate. we want to take an honest look at that. we've been forthright about our policies and airing criticism of them. let's we have the editor of "the economist" and elyyee ely lake. i'll start with john. "the economist," are they showing the cover or not? >> yes, we are going to publish it this week. we didn't show the danish cartoons when they came out a few years ago because we felt we could report about them without necessarily showing them. but we took the decision that it was difficult to report on this cover without actually showing people what it looked like. >> and do you sense that there's a difference in how european and u.s. publications are handling this call? >> i think it is varying a lot, according to country. i get the feeling -- i may be wrong about this -- i get the feeling that the europeans who feel they were very close to incident of last week feel more inclined to show this cover and p

fire bombed three years ago for depicting cartoons of the prophet muhammad. an attack that didn't stop it. journalists here are shocked and angry. >> it is an outrage and a major attack on the freedom of the press. >> reporter: french president francois hollande says the country is in a state of shock but must unite. tonight, parisians are doing just that. police have identified three men as suspects, two brothers in their early 30s and an 18-year-old. and nbc news understands one man has now been killed in a police operation, and arrests made. and, brian, just to confirm that news it came from a senior u.s. counterterrorism official saying that in that shootout one had been killed and two suspects have been arrested. we think that was the operation in a city about 90 miles from here. remember the three suspects named by the police one of them has a terrorist record and was jailed ten years ago. the other reportedly came back from syria last summer. remember this the worst attack in paris in 54 years. >> bill neely starting off our coverage from paris tonight

you can hear one of them shout "this is to avenge the prophet muhammad muhammad." on the way back to their car relaxed and confidevent, one bent to pick up a lost shoe before they sped off. police later found the car abandoned less than a mile away. at the scene of the massacre, ambulance crews did their best for the injured and took the dead away from a neighborhood in deep shock. journalist ashard from a neighboring office tried to help. >> it was a very terrific scene with -- with everything broken inside and many bodies inside. >> reporter: among those gunned down, some of the most famous names in french publishing. >> >> rose: more about the paris attack with caroline connan of bloomberg's paris by o. >> pairas has known a combination of art and the riske and it was founded by cartoonists and journalists after the magazine the word hebdo means weekly, they published a cartoon mocking the former president, charles de de gaulle's death. that was effectively banned. so these journalists came together and started "charlie hebdo." it has never been a stranger to co

organizations that that is blasphemous to even have the prophet muhammad on the cover.re is no immediate threat, there is chatter on extremist websites and the ongoing threat that that could anger islamic militants. >> you know, some are looking at all this and wondering, could retaliation reach other countries as well and should the u.s. be on high alert? >> after an attack like this, all countries are on high alert, especially countries that have a history of terrorist attacks by islamic militants against them. the u.s. obviously, one of them. so, the u.s. government is of course monitoring this and monitoring any ongoing threats. there are six missing terror cell members in france that, of could you, governments both in europe and the u.s. are monitoring. so it could be an ongoing threat. >> well, how are the president and lawmakers really tepgstepping up the fight against isis? >> you saw that come up yesterday in the white house's meeting against president obama and congressional leaders. mitch mcconnell said after that meeting that the white house did plan and set

but nbc news group is not showing any cartoons depicting muhammad.er cable networks have basically taken a similar approach, while, in europe, many newspapers have chosen to publish the muhammad cartoons. a number of news outlets cropped pictures some decided to blur the images of muhammad out. the publisher of the new york times published a story which explained it was not an easy one. ultimately, he decided against showing the cartoons in deference to readers. we have a standard that is long held and served us well. there's a line between gratuitous insult and satire. most of these are gratuitous insult. when we return, i'm going to talk to three people, the imam behind ground zero mosque. stay with us. >>> we're back. >>> we're back. joining me now, the founder of the cordaba initiative. the voice of mr. burns, other characters in the simpsons. harry, let me start with you. i think you have a strong feeling that outlets should be showing these images, even the most offensive ones. >> well, i think that the news outlets that have decided not to sho

it does show the prophet muhammad. by the way, it's made clear that is who they are trying to depict as a cartoon character. it has the slogan he's holding it up saying "i am charlie." also saying, "all is forgiven." the cover looks a lot like the 2011 cover, also with a green background also with the cartoon depiction of muhammad that did come out at the same time the offices were firebomb. this ofwas back in 2011. as we know this magazine has been no -- has faced threats and dangers over the years. by deciding to publish the cover again, by deciding to take on something that's a taboo in the muslim world and to show an image of muhammad that offense many muslims, the magazine is certainly going to get a lot of attention and certainly make a statement when it comes out tomorrow. >> certainly when i saw it for the first time my initial reaction was is this really the cover, are they really going to do this. earlier jim bittermann made the point that before this attack the publication wasn't widely read. it was a couple

fire bombed three years ago for printing cartoons of the prophet muhammad. an attack that didn't stop it. journalists here are shocked and angry. >> it is an outrage and a major attack on the freedom of the press. >> reporter: french president francois hollande says the country is in a state of shock but must unite. tonight, parisians are doing just that. police have identified three men as suspects, two brothers in their early 30s and an 18-year-old. no arrests have been confirmed and no one has yet claimed tonight for france's worst terrorist attack in decades. and brian, earlier a senior american counter terrorism official told nbc news that one of the three suspects has been killed and two had been arrested. but so far, there is no confirmation of this from french police. there is a counter terrorism operation going on at this moment in reims about 90 miles from here but the manhunt continues for the perpetrators of the worst terrorist attack in france in 54 years. back to you. bill neely with the very latest to start us off tonight. our chief correspond

just a man who is crying and that's muhammad. i'm sorry we've drawn him again, but the muhammad we've drawn is a man who cries. >> reporter: so this new issue is filled jake with all kinds of irreverence, the kind of irreverence people would say offensive cartoons and subject matter that "charlie hebdoe" has been known for for a long time. but the first two pages are devoted to the artwork of those who were killed here. i find that to be such a moving tribute, jake. instead of blank pages to honor or remember those who were lost their absence, they're filled with cartoons to show their continued i would say everlasting presence. >> john berman in paris, thank you so much. turning now to our national lead. it is still early, but the investigation into last week's terrorist attacks indicate that the kouachis may have been motivated by al qaeda's official jihadi magazine "inspire," the same paint by numbers guide to terrorist attackers that allegedly taught the boston terrorists the tsarnaevs, how to make a bomb in their mom's kitch

muhammad, 29 years old, is a somali born naturalized u.s. citizen and according to authorities, he left the united states in the summer of 2012 with an american passport intent on joining them in east africa. the f.b.i. says while in northern virginia muhammad became close with this man. zachary chester, the 25-year-old former george mason university student sentenced four years ago for his support of the organization. last summer muhammad was identified by authorities as a wanted fugitive and today in this one page arrest warrant that was unsealed by the u.s. attorney's office and now he joins 30 other individuals on the f.b.i.'s most wanted terrorist list. the f.b.i. is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to muhammad's arrest. live in the newsroom jeff goldberg, abc 7 news. >> thank you, jeff. developing right now in afghanistan, three american contractors and a local afghan national were shot to death in kabul. the shooting happened at the north kabul international airport complex. at this point, there are few details about

enough insults against our prophet muhammad. if you don't stop mocking our prophet, you'll regret it in the future. >> people of nigeria sudan jordan and jerusalem demonstrated to express their anger at charlie hebdo. but the angriest crowds were found in france's former colonies of west africa. in niger a number of people died in violent confrontation between protesters and state security. in neighboringing morotania's president showed up in the protest. he did not appear in france after the killing of charlie hebdo employees. seen in the cartoons something much more important than their lives, the message that some muslims seem to be sending is that there is no chance that they'll stand by idly while their most sacred icons are degraded by western media. >> demonstrations of a different sort in the chadian capitol. they're supporting the government's decision to deploy troops to cameroon. chadian soldiers will help the cameroon that was attack by boko haram earlier this month. chad field threatened by boko haram's presence in

it depicts muhammad with a hundred lashes if you're not dying of laughter.ning me now is ezra klein and former editor of the onion. ezra you decided to republish all of these cartoons today. how did you decide to do that? >> i'd like to tell you it was a big decision we had a big meeting and we thought through the changes and the risks and the questions, but it honestly i spoke to my editors, it never occurred to us not to publish them. our job is to explain new stories when you can't explain the news story without showing people what this magazine did, what it published, what it wrote about. so it was an -- it was such an obvious call to us i have to be honest, i didn't make a call i talked to the editors to make sure i wasn't missing a link in the chain. but i do want to make one point because it speaks to my mindset on this. i don't really agree that this was about the cartoons and the way people are saying it is. i don't think this is about the cartoons anymore than a rape is what the victim is wearing. many people see the cartoons, many people do not go

the terrorists saying the attack was in revenge for defaming muhammad.ning me now is an international human rights lawyer. he's in washington. and from london fawaz gerges at the london school of economics. first to you, and of course you're also the senior editor of "the islamic" founder and we follow you on twitter as well. what do you say to people who say, you know "charlie hebdo" drew pictures mocking the pope. you didn't have catholics massacring its journalists. why are these caricatures, these cartoons that after all, are only drawings creating a situation where terrorists feel it is their duty to conduct these mass killings? >> well hala i think the first thing that is important to keep in mind is that these cartoons were actually published five years ago. you know this wasn't like last week and this was some sort of instant retribution. you know we all remember the 2005 danish cartoon controversy when they published 12 incendiary cartoons of the prophet muhammad so that context needs to be put in place. at the end of the day, when you have thre

but nbc news group is not showing any cartoons depicting muhammad.ach, while, in europe, many newspapers have chosen to publish the muhammad cartoons. a number of news outlets cropped pictures some decided to blur the images of muhammad out. the publisher of the new york times published a story which explained it was not an easy one. ultimately, he decided against showing the cartoons in deference to readers. we have a standard that is long held and served us well. there's a line between gratuitous insult and satire. most of these are gratuitous insult. when we return, i'm going to talk to three people, the imam behind ground zero mosque. stay with us. marge: you know, there's a more enjoyable way to get your fiber. try phillips fiber good gummies. they're delicious, and a good source of fiber to help support regularity. wife: mmmm husband: these are good! marge: the tasty side of fiber. from phillips. thanks. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] fedex® has solutions to enable global commerce that can help your company grow steadily and quickly. great job. (mandar

that's true of muhammad as well. i think that what you see going on here is some scholars said almost a reverse form that prohibition of showing prophet muhammad becomes a religious belief in itself and that can turn into a violent religious belief which is a perversion of the original intent. he wanted the focus to be on god and not the messenger. >> in turkey they've banned access. you can't look at pictures of "charlie hebdo" anywhere. even on the internet. turkish officials say the cover is provocative and may incite more violence. do you think that's true? >> i think also that you at cnn just mentioned you decided also not to publish it and not to display it is quite telling. i think it is a source of sensitivity for many people. now, of course for us as muslims, we're a diverse expression of faith. one of the key issues that is really important to understand is that muslims are not islam. and there is a rainbow of muslims that have a variety of cultural expressions of islam in their ethnicities and language and

charlie hebdo, known for controversial cartoons of political and religious leaders, including prophet muhammad. the three terrorists are on the run as france raises its terror alert to the highest level. this extremely grave barbaric action is also an attack against democracy and the freedom of the press. video from the scene shows a professional planned attack and the brutality is extreme. at one point one gunman approaches a fallen officer and executes him point blank. so far top u.s. counterterror officials say they have no confirmation who is behind this attack the deadly inside france in two decades. now, this hour we have the developments covered from all angles. we will be on the ground in paris. we'll talk to experts who hunt down these kind of terrorists. we'll examine what today's attack means for the international attack against terror and we're gathering new reactions from the white house and capitol hill. so, for this busy hour we begin with nbc's cassandra leading our coverage from paris where it is now 9 p.m. what can you tell us about what you're seeing there on the ground and

a number of news outlets cropped pictures some decided to blur the images of muhammad out.ublished a story which explained it was not an easy one. ultimately, he decided against showing the cartoons against readers. we have a standard that is long held and served us well. there's a line between gratuitous insult and satire. most of these are gratuitous insummit. when we return i'm going to talk to three people, the imam behind ground e ground zero mosque. stay with us. e in my world, wall isn't a street... return on investment isn't the only return i'm looking forward to. for some every dollar is earned with sweat, sacrifice, courage. which is why usaa is honored to help our members with everything from investing for retirement to saving for college. our commitment to current and former military members and their families is without equal. start investing with as little as fifty dollars. they're still after me. get to the terminal across town. are all the green lights you? no. it's called grid iq. the 4:51 is leaving at 4:51. ♪ they cut the power. it'll fix itself. power's

in 2012 they publish ad cartoon of a naked prophet muhammad. in 2011 they publish ad cartoon with the prophet muhammad with a bomb on his head. the offices were firebombed after that. they followed the law here in france that said they can publish these cartoons, despite fact particularly in 201012, the french foreign ministry said please do not publish cartoons of the naked prophet muhammad. bill: catherine what do you expect from the french government and french president? >> reporter: main thing is track being down the four attackers. they're still loose in the paris area. we have airports railway stations and schools major shopping centers under police and military protection catherine, to be clear you said four gunman, not two. has that number changed? >> reporter: what the police were saying two possibly three entered the building. there was another one waiting outside in the car. that car sped off from the scene. it crashed. they grabbed another car. police are saying that there are four attack somewhere in the greater paris or indeed in

the depict of the prophet muhammad is strictly prohibited in islam.arlie hebdo's decision to release that magazine provoked fury among many muslims in france and those around the world. before that issue hit the stand, the magazine's offices were fire bombed. but the cartoonist said he would not back down. >> people say okay. that's not -- we can't make everyone happy and we know that. okay let's move the line more further. but it was not completely it was not the point to make provocation. >> reporter: there were no deaths in the 2011 bombing but this latest attack was devastating with stephane charbonnier among the dead. two years ago he talked about his decision to run with that controversial 2011 cover. of the prophet muhammad. >> it has been 20 years since we've been doing provocation and it is noticed only when we talk about islam or this part of islam which raises problems and which is a minority. >> reporter: also killed on the attack two of the cartoonists. as authorities investigate this latest attack, the french presidents appealing for nat

and defaming muhammad. would we see that kind of response in the christian world over the defamation of jesus? >> no people would have to be deranged. i've had christ, all kinds of examples. we always do it in a nonviolent way but i do think we have to exercise the restraints. i'm sick and tired of these blocs who say muslim, you have to take it. why don't you disagree with islam and do it in eyea civil manner. libber libbertines, when you get to that. >> when it gets to the point of extreme that death is the only way. >> the legal point which i would agree with you. i don't want the law coming in here telling these people you can't do this but there's another question here, moral restraint, why can't we have -- >> moral restraint. i agree with that but then it get to be -- one definition from free speech and you may have a different definition. what goes in paris might not go in london et cetera. >> i think when you depict muhammad as a victim of anal sex, unless there's something wrong and twisted with yo

once again, the prophet muhammad is on the cover. joining me to talk about the latest is jim bittermann. let's talk about the new threat from al qaeda. north africa and mali. in a sense, it is new, but going on for a while. >> reporter: it has been john. the fact the french have been in mali since 2013. a large number of troops there to help support the government to help al qaeda against north africa threat. these have been under these threats from various anonymous sources all along. this one today, in connection with what happened here of course takes on a different tone than the previous one. the fact is they know they are under threat. the prime minister said they are under threat. >> reporter: you can ignore nothing. the surviving members have been preparing a new issue. >> reporter: they went to a newspaper here called "liberation." they have been working last week with the computers and printers there and come up with an edition which will be just as daring as all the others they put out here. it depicts the prophet muhammad

in the video, brothers declare vengeance in the name of the prophet muhammad.e video for yourself. and paul stockton. colonel, the first reaction to everyone i have spoken to is how calm and calculating these brothers were in the middle of this attack. they had just killed ten people. presumably they were trying to escape yet they looked to be taking their time to reload their weapons. >> john it's a great point. what it shows me is over the years that they have done some training and they have put themselves in that position. after you shoot ten people and when you're shooting they are amped up and nerves are going. they were able to control their nerves and do a pretty good job. >> mr. stockton i want to show you another piece of this video where you do show a confrontation between the brothers and police who tried to get in their way. watch this. ct that these police who did confront these brothers, it's clear they just were not equipped to deal with this type of threat. heavily armed men with these rifles. how do you deal with this level of threat? >> the b

witnesses say the gunmen yelled "we have avenged the prophet muhammad." on the run, they exchanged gunfire with police three times. video shows a gunmen killing an injured policemen, who said no no as he was shot. before they drove away one ficked up a shoe before getting into a black car. they continued on to a paris suburb where they abandoned the vehicle and hijacked another car. >> translator: the car came and stopped here armed men got out on the pavement and a threatening man had guns and what looked like a bazooka. they left and blocked everything. [ gunfire ] >> in total, 12 are dead, 11 injured, four critically. the magazine charlie hebdo had been a target for years. it's part of a long standing tradition of french satirical magazines taking aim at organized religion and the political establishment. but the repeated depictions of the prophet muhammad put them under the threat of violence for nearly a decade. in 2006 the magazine republished cartoons of muhammad from a danish newspaper. charlie hebdo's offices were firebombed in 2011 after it name

what does the koran say about illustrating the prophet muhammad? >> the koran itself doesn't say anything. it is accepted by all islamic authorities the prophet muhammad and all the other prophets cannot be drawn or produced in pictures. they are infallible individuals, and therefore should not be presented in any manner that might cause disrespect for them. >> is there any history of illustrating them? we did just hear from the editor and chief of charlie hebdo that says there's a long history in islam there is a prediction of the prophet. >> if there was, that would have been condemned by the scholars of islam. >> this particular color we're talking about, is it the fact the prophet is on the cover, the fact he is crying people will find offensive? >> i think it's the concept. the guys at charlie hebdo are a bunch of individuals who feel they have the liberty to make fun of anybody. i think that to muslims is very offensive, you cannot choose to target this or that religion. if you don't believe in sacredness of the divine that's your business bu

that mocking muhammad is seen as a terrible insult by many muslims. >> i think that the pope, who issponsible for the inquisition in europe, should be very careful talking about the right to answer mocking with violence. >> well, that was 500 years ago. >> yes it was. >> certainly in the united states there's a very strong feeling of free speech. but there are some polls that have shown that 79% of people in france believe that you shouldn't be publishing anything that mocks any kind of religion. so just as most papers and magazines will put limits on what they publish, they will not advocate violence. they will not publish pornography. is there such a thing as appropriate self-censorship, where we as journalists can make the appropriate decision say “well, some things shouldn't be and most american news outputs have not shown what charlie hebdo has published, including this one. and your book in the united states, the publication in the united states does not have the cartoons that you published in denmark. >> yes. of course every individual has a right to exercise his internal line

after the massacre, why won't many run this cover in which a series muhammad says all is for given.the massacre, why won't many run this cover in which a series muhammad says all is for given. >> which is treat h.sis completely crazy that in the uk you cannot show that. >> we've chosen not to show that cover. we apologize for any who may have been offended by that. >> some medias also ignoring or down playing the fewer error over the obama white house blowing off that huge march in paris for free speech.error over the obama white house blowing off that huge march in paris for free speech. cbs evening news giving it all 17 seconds despite stinking criticism even from jon stewart. >> how could obama not be there? look how many world leaders he could have bowed down to and apologized. >> was this a blind spot for mistakes by the president? >>> mitt romney moving toward a third presidential campaign gets barbshed by the media. what, him again? >> i feel like i'm taking crazy pills. it's a terrible idea. >> we'll canexplore laura ingraham oig. >>> and boston radio guy howie carr weighs in.