"Nasa heightened alert ang buong Pransiya ngayon in-order ng Pangulong Francois Hollande. Ang mga behikulo hinaharang, pinapara, parang martial law ang pakiramdam dito," said Leo Mojica, a correspondent of ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau in Paris.
Mojica said many Filipinos he interviewed earlier are now afraid to go out.
"Maraming nabigla at natakot sa pangyayari dahil ngayon lang nangyari itong ganitong karumal-dumal na pagpatay ng tao," he said.
Reuters reported that authorities have identified the gunmen in the deadly Charlie Hebdo attack as brothers Said Kouachi, Cherif Kouachi, and Hamyd Mourad.
The police source said Cherif Kouachi had previously been tried on terrorism charges. He was charged with criminal association related to a terrorist enterprise in 2005 after he was arrested before leaving for Iraq to join Islamist militants. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison in 2008, according to French media.
Reports said hooded attackers stormed the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo, a weekly known for lampooning Islam and other religions.
French police staged a huge manhunt for the attackers who escaped by car after shooting dead some of France's top cartoonists as well as two police officers. About 800 soldiers were brought in to shore up security across the capital.
"Bukas magmo-mourn ang Parisians, naka-half mast ang mga bandila," said Mojica.
He added that the Philippine Embassy in France has released an advisory to the Filipinos following the attack.
Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs on Thursday issued a statement condemning the "senseless attacks".
"We are appalled by the senseless attacks that took 12 innocent lives and wounded several others in Paris. We join the French nation and the rest of the world in denouncing this blatant disregard for human lives and the fundamental right of expression. We condole and sympathize with the families of the victims as they mourn the loss of their loved ones and begin their quest for justice. -- With a report from Reuters
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
