DHAKA: France raised its alert status for Paris to the highest level after gunmen armed with Kalashnikovs and a rocket-launcher opened fire in the offices of French satirical weekly ‘Charlie Hebdo’ on Wednesday, killing at least 12.

The national security alert system was set to ‘attack alert’ following the killings in central Paris, officials said, reports The Straits Times.

French president Francois Hollande talks to the press upon his arrival at the headquarters of the French satirical newspaper.

Moreover, British prime minister David Cameron condemned the ‘sickening’ attack.

‘The murders in Paris are sickening. We stand with the French people in the fight against terror and defending the freedom of the press,’ he said in a message on Twitter.

BDST: 1853 HRS, JAN 07, 2015