Terror Police Swarm Forest In Hunt For Paris Pair

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Anti-terror police have converged on a forest northeast of Paris after two brothers suspected of being behind the Charlie Hebdo magazine attack were spotted at a petrol station.

A massive manhunt is under way for the gunmen who killed 12 people at the magazine's Paris offices on Wednesday.

French news agency AFP said two men fitting the description of brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi stole fuel and food from the station near Villers-Cotterets, in the northern Aisne region, 43 miles (70km) from Paris, this morning.

There is a high police presence in the villages of Crepy-en-Valois, 10 miles (16km) from the petrol station, and Abbaye de Longpont, where just 400 people live.

Sky's Joey Jones said police were going house-to-house "scrutinising each resident".

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Gallery: French Villages Filled With Terror Police

Police have swarmed the small village of Crepy-en-Valois

Two men matching the descriptions of brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi were reportedly spotted by a petrol station manager

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Helicopters have been seen flying over the French countryside

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Shots are said to have been fired during a robbery at the station near Villers-Cotteret in the northern Aisne region, east of Paris

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Le Parisien said men wearing balaclavas were travelling on the N2 road in the direction of Paris in a Renault Clio which had weapons on its back seat

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Witness Benoit Verdun told Sky News he believes the suspects are in a very large forest near Longpont, which he said is "bigger than Paris" at 13,000 hectares, or 50 square miles.

Crepy-en-Valois' mayor Bruno Fortier said he could not confirm reports the men were holed up in a house in the area.

"It's an incessant waltz of police cars and trucks," he told Reuters.

Jones said the picture is one of "utter confusion" and there are many rumours flying around.

Earlier the men, wearing balaclavas, were spotted travelling on the N2 road in the direction of Paris in a Renault Clio which had weapons on its back seat and its number plates covered.

AFP said the pair had Kalashnikovs and what appeared to be a rocket-launcher.

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Gallery: Paris Attack Suspects' ID Cards

Cherif Kouachi and his brother Said are suspected of carrying out the attack at Charlie Hebdo's offices in Paris. This is Cherif's ID card

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RAID, the French anti-terrorist unit, and GIGN, a paramilitary special operations unit, have been deployed in the region.

But Jones said it would appear the suspects are "a step or two ahead" of authorities at the moment.

He added: "The indications at the moment suggest that they (police) are finding it difficult to get a grip on this fast-moving situation.

"Each time we arrive at an area where they have been sighted or there is some sort of suspicion of significant police activity, you get the feeling that things have moved on.

"This is such a fast moving situation, who knows where it will end up."

Officials have said the French nationals are linked to a Yemeni terror network.

On Wednesday night heavily armoured police raided an apartment in the city of Reims in the search for the killers. Seven people were detained overnight.

Another suspect handed himself in to police after he was named on social media as 18-year-old Hamyd Mourad.

Sky sources say the teenager, who has been arrested, is the brother-in-law of the suspects.

There are reports he was in school at the time of the attack and schoolmates said he was on the bus with them at 7.30am and midday on Wednesday.

:: Live updates on the story here

Tensions remain high in the country after a female police officer was shot dead in southern Paris this morning.

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Gallery: Magazine Victims Identified

Bernard Maris was a journalist and shareholder in Charlie Hebdo

Jean Cabut's cartoons were first published in Paris newspapers in 1954

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A "criminal" blast was also reported at a kebab shop near a mosque in the eastern French town of Villefranche-sur-Saone. No one was injured.

Officials have not said either incident is linked to the Paris terror attack.

Tributes to the victims have been left near the magazine's offices and a minute's silence was held in the French capital.

French investigators found a dozen Molotov cocktails and two jihadist flags in the getaway car abandoned shortly after the massacre.

A staff member at the magazine said next week's issue will be published despite the bloodbath.

The publication, for next Wednesday, is to defiantly show that "stupidity will not win," Patrick Pelloux said, adding that the remaining staff will meet soon.

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Gallery: The Pencil Is Mightier Than The Gun

Cartoonists all over the world have been picking up their pencils to show their support for the murdered artists on Charlie Hebdo magazine. This was by Carlos Latuff, posted on @LatuffCartoons latuffcartoons.wordpress.com

By David Pope @davpope. Political cartoonist at The Canberra Times

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Downing Street said security has been increased at UK ports following the terror attack in Paris, although there is no specific threat to the country.

:: Sky News is running a poll on social media today: "Should the media publish satirical religious cartoons?". You can vote on Facebook or Twitter using hashtags #SkyPollYes or #SkyPollNo

:: A special report on the shootings at 4.30pm, 8.30pm and 9.30pm, can be watched live on skynews.com, our mobile apps and on channels Sky 501, Virgin Media 602, Freesat 202, Freeview 132.

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