WASHINGTON, January 7 (Sputnik) — The American embassy and other diplomatic facilities in France remain open and continues to operate as usual, following the deadly terrorist attack in central Paris, the US Embassy said in a statement on Wednesday.
"Despite misleading press reports, there are no plans to close or limit access to the US Embassy in Paris or other diplomatic facilities in France. We are open for business as usual,” the statement posted on the embassy’s website said.
French authorities have reportedly reinforced security at media offices and houses of worship.
On Wednesday, three gunmen armed with Kalashnikov rifles entered the Charlie Hebdo office building in central Paris. The gunmen killed 10 journalists and two policemen. The masked killers escaped the area on a black Citroen vehicle and remain unidentified.
Cartoonist Corine Rey, who witnessed the attack, told the Humanite weekly magazine that the gunmen said they were linked to al-Qaeda.
The Charlie Hebdo magazine had previously received several threats from radical Islamists due to its satirical cartoons. In 2011, the magazine’s former office was fire-bombed following the publication of controversial cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad.
