Charlie Hebdo attack: Helicopters hunt for suspects in woods of France - CNN.comCharlie Hebdo attack: Helicopters hunt for suspects in woods of France - CNN.comCookie consentWe use cookies to improve your experience on this website. By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of cookies. Tell me more | Cookie preferencesBreaking NewsPlease select your default edition:InternationalU.S.MexicoInternational EditionU.S.InternationalArabicEspañolMexicoSet edition preferenceSign inNewsWorldSportTechnologyEntertainmentStyleTravelMoneyRegionsU.S.ChinaAfricaLatin AmericaAsiaEuropeMiddle EastVideoStories Worth WatchingShowsCNN en EspañolTVTV ShowsScheduleAnchors and ReportersFeaturesOpinionsiReportCNN Profiles A-ZMore…PhotosWeatherCNN MobileTools & Extras CNN ArabicCNN EspañolCNN MexicoCNN FacebookCNN TwitterCNN Google+CNN HeroesImpact Your WorldCNN Freedom ProjectQuick LinksPhotosWeatherCNN MobileTools & Extras Charlie Hebdo attack: Helicopters hunt for suspects in woods of FranceBy Greg Botelho, Catherine E. Shoichet and Atika Shubert, CNNUpdated 1956 GMT (0356 HKT) January 21, 2015Helicopters fly over a printing shop in Dammartin-en-Goele, France, where there was a standoff Friday, January 9, between police and two men suspected in the Charlie Hebdo shootings earlier this week. Cherif and Said Kouachi, the two brothers wanted in the case, were killed by security forces, authorities said.Hide Caption 1 of 25French authorities released photographs of the Kouachi brothers, warning that both could be armed and dangerous. A third suspect, Hamyd Mourad, surrendered to police earlier this week, according to the news agency Agence France-Presse.Hide Caption 2 of 25Police officers leave after storming the printing shop in Dammartin-en-Goele on January 9.Hide Caption 3 of 25Smoke rises from the building in Dammartin-en-Goele, a town about 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of Paris.Hide Caption 4 of 25Police take position on a roof during the standoff.Hide Caption 5 of 25A bird flies overhead as police snipers take aim from a roof.Hide Caption 6 of 25French gendarmes stand guard as a nearby school is evacuated in Dammartin-en-Goele on January 9.Hide Caption 7 of 25Children wait inside a school before being picked up by their parents. Dammartin-en-Goele residents were told to stay inside during the standoff, and schools were put on lockdown, the mayor's media office told CNN.Hide Caption 8 of 25A police officer checks a car in Dammartin-en-Goele.Hide Caption 9 of 25French authorities block access to a road leading to Dammartin-en-Goele on January 9.Hide Caption 10 of 25Armed security forces fly in Dammartin-en-Goele on January 9.Hide Caption 11 of 25Police vans line up in Dammartin-en-Goele on January 9.Hide Caption 12 of 25Police officers communicate inside a school in Dammartin-en-Goele.Hide Caption 13 of 25Police and military forces take positions in Dammartin-en-Goele.Hide Caption 14 of 25A police officer stands guard in Fleury, France, on Thursday, January 8.Hide Caption 15 of 25French soldiers patrol the Gare du Nord railway station in Paris on January 8.Hide Caption 16 of 25Police walk down a street in Corcy, France, on January 8.Hide Caption 17 of 25On January 8, police tape and vehicles block off the entrance to a gas station north of Paris where the two suspects were reportedly seen the night before.Hide Caption 18 of 25French police officers gather January 8 in Longpont, France, about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from where the suspects were reportedly spotted.Hide Caption 19 of 25French police patrol a street in Corcy on January 8.Hide Caption 20 of 25A police officer stands guard in front of Paris' Elysee Palace on January 8.Hide Caption 21 of 25Police stand guard in front of an apartment building in the Croix-Rouge suburb of Reims, France, early on January 8. Forensics officers were looking for evidence related to the three suspects.Hide Caption 22 of 25Sharpshooters are seen outside during the operation in Reims.Hide Caption 23 of 25Forensics officers are seen through a window in Reims.Hide Caption 24 of 25French national police arrive at a police station in Charleville-Mezieres, France, on Wednesday, January 7.Hide Caption 25 of 25Story highlights Items found in suspects' car could have been used to make explosives, officials saySources say police believe they spotted the suspects on footNine arrested in Charlie Hebdo shooting but not the main suspectsLongpont, France (CNN)An intense manhunt for two brothers wanted in the Charlie Hebdo magazine massacre focused Thursday on northern France's Picardy region, where sources close to the investigation said a police helicopter might have spotted the suspects.Authorities believe that Cherif Kouachi, 32, and Said Kouachi, 34, entered a wooded area on foot, the sources told CNN's Chris Cuomo. Now investigators are using helicopters equipped with night vision tools to try to find them, the sources said.Earlier Thursday, a police helicopter glimpsed what investigators believed to be the fugitives in the same area, near Crepy-en-Valois, France.Said Kouachi, left, and Cherif Kouachi are suspects in the Paris attack.EXPAND IMAGEPolice flooded the region, with heavily armed officers canvassing the countryside and forests in search of the killers. They came after a gas station attendant reportedly said the armed brothers threatened him near Villers-Cotterets in Picardy, stole gas and food, then drove off late Thursday morning.About 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the gas station, police blocked a rural country road leading to the French village of Longpont. Authorities have not commented in any detail, but pictures showed heavily armed police officers with shields and helmets in the blocked-off area.Hours later, a CNN team witnessed a convoy of 30 to 40 police vehicles leaving a site near Longpont.Prime Minister Manuel Valls put the Picardy region on the highest alert level, that same level that the entire Ile-de-France region, including Paris, is already under.As the search for the suspects intensified, details emerged about their past travels -- and possible training abroad.Said Kouachi went to Yemen for training, a French official told CNN.  The training he received included instruction from al Qaeda's affiliate there on how to fire weapons, a U.S. official said, citing information French intelligence provided to the United States.In addition to northern France, other parts of the country have also been under scrutiny.More than 80,000 police were deployed nationwide Thursday, France's interior minister said. Earlier Thursday, a gunman -- dressed in black and wearing what appeared to be a bulletproof vest, just like those who attacked the Charlie Hebdo offices -- shot and killed a female police officer in the Paris suburb of Montrouge. A municipal official was seriously wounded in that attack, France's interior minister said. One person was arrested, Paris Deputy Mayor Patrick Klugman said, though it's not known whether the shooter is still at large.Authorities have called that a terror attack, but they haven't connected it to Wednesday's slaying of 12 at the satirical magazine's Paris headquarters.Latest updates at 10:15 p.m. ET• Investigators found empty containers and gasoline inside a car driven by the suspects in the Charlie Hebdo attack, according to U.S. and Western officials who say they received information from French intelligence about the vehicle. The suspects may have intended to use the items to make rudimentary explosives such as Molotov cocktails, the officials told CNN's Pamela Brown, Barbara Starr and Deborah Feyerick.• The head of Britain's MI5 security service told an audience in London that his agency was offering French intelligence officials its "full support" as France responds to Wednesday's terror attack in Paris.• Paris' iconic Eiffel Tower went dark Thursday night in remembrance of the victims of Wednesday's attack. • In the United States, the Paris Las Vegas resort said it also planned to dim the lights on its half-sized replica of the tower Thursday night. "We stand with Paris in mourning the victims of the Charlie Hebdo attack," a spokeswoman for the hotel said.Charlie Hebdo to publish next WednesdayWhile its business is satire, Charlie Hebdo has been the subject of serious venom.That includes its publication of cartoons lampooning the Muslim prophet, Mohammed, which some found very offensive.Satirical magazine is no stranger to controversyThe magazine's offices were fire-bombed after that in 2011, on the same day the magazine was due to release an issue with a cover that appeared to poke fun at Islamic law. It was attacked again Wednesday, when two masked men entered its offices not far from the famed Notre Dame Cathedral and the Place de la Bastille.Map: Charlie Hebdo HQ, ParisEXPAND IMAGEOn their way into the building, they asked exactly where the offices were. The men reportedly spoke fluent French with no accent.They barged in on the magazine's staff, while they were gathered for a lunchtime editorial meeting. The gunmen separated the men from the women and called out the names of cartoonists they intended to kill, said Dr. Gerald Kierzek, a physician who treated wounded patients and spoke with survivors. The shooting was not a random spray of bullets, but more of a precision execution, he said.The two said they were avenging the Prophet Mohammed and shouted "Allahu akbar," which translates to "God is great," Paris Prosecutor Francois Molins said.Just WatchedParis attack's tragic timelinereplayMore Videos ...Paris attack's tragic timeline 02:31PLAY VIDEOCell phone cameras caught the two gunmen as they ran back out of the building, still firing. One of them ran up to a wounded police officer lying on a sidewalk and shot him point-blank.It was the deadliest attack in Europe since July 2011, when Anders Behring Brevik killed 77 people in attacks on government buildings in Oslo, Norway, and at a youth camp on the island of Utoya.Just WatchedComparing Charlie Hebdo to other terror eventsreplayMore Videos ...Comparing Charlie Hebdo to other terror events 02:53PLAY VIDEOBut it won't stop Charlie Hebdo. Pelloux told CNN affiliate BFMTV that thousands of copies of the magazine will be published next Wednesday. Proceeds from the issue will go to victims' families, France's Le Monde newspaper reported.'It was their only mistake'Authorities have released few details on why they've zeroed in on the Kouachi brothers. But they have pointed to one key clue found inside a getaway car the gunmen apparently used: Said Kouachi's identification card. It was discovered by investigators as they combed the vehicle for clues after impounding it."It was their only mistake," said Dominique Rizet, BFMTV's police and justice consultant, reporting that discovering the ID had helped French investigatorsOther evidence also points to the brothers' involvement, according to U.S. officials briefed by French intelligence.Police hunting for the Kouachi brothers have searched residences in a number of towns, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said.Who are the suspects?An ISIS radio broadcast Thursday praised the attackers, calling them "brave jihadists." There was no mention of a claim of responsibility for the attack.Officials were running the brothers' names through databases to look for connections with ISIS and al Qaeda.  A third suspect, 18-year-old Hamyd Mourad, turned himself in to police, a source close to the case told the AFP news agency. In French media and on social media, classmates of Mourad, who is in his final year of high school, said he was with them at school at the time of the attack.Cazeneuve said that nine people overall have been detained in connection with the Charlie Hebdo attack. But the Kouachi brothers remain on the run.'Parisians will not be afraid'The victims' names were splashed Thursday across newspapers as heroes for freedom of expression. "Liberty assassinated." "We are all Charlie Hebdo," the headlines blared.They included two police officers, Stephane Charbonnier -- a cartoonist and the magazine's editor, known as "Charb" -- and three other well-known cartoonists known by the pen names Cabu, Wolinski and Tignous. Autopsies on the victims were underway Thursday, Cazeneuve said.Just WatchedSlain editor: Without freedom of speech we are deadreplayMore Videos ...Slain editor: Without freedom of speech we are dead 02:08PLAY VIDEOFlags flew at half-staff on public buildings and events were canceled Thursday, a national day of mourning. Crowds gathered in the rain in Paris in the victims' honor, many holding up media credentials and broke into applause as the silence ended. The bells of Notre Dame Cathedral tolled across the city. "I can't remember such a day since 9/11," said Klugman, Paris' deputy mayor. "The country really is in a kind of shutdown in respect and memory of the 12 people killed."The day earlier, thousands poured into streets in hordes in a show of solidarity, holding up pens and chanting, "We are Charlie!" Similar demonstrations took place in cities in addition to Paris, including Rome, On Thursday, demonstrators once again vowed that nothing would silence them.Standing in Paris' Place de la Republique, Lesley Martin sounded defiant as she waved an "I am Charlie" sign. "I am not afraid," she said. "Tonight I'm here and, if tomorrow I have to be here, I don't care if anybody comes and just wants to do something really bad here. I'm not afraid to die." Cartoonists took a profane aim at the worldCNN's Atika Shubert reported from France, CNN's Greg Botelho and Catherine E. Shoichet wrote this story from Atlanta. CNN's Christiane Amanpour, Laura Smith-Spark, Pamela Brown, Barbara Starr, Deborah Feyerick, Jim Sciutto, Jim Bittermann, Ben Brumfield, Jethro Mullen, Khushbu Shah,  Anas Hamdan, Max Foster, Greg Morrison, Bryony Jones, Michael Martinez and Ray Sanchez also contributed to this report.Shooting at Charlie HebdoComplete coverage: Terror in ParisThe investigation: Following the tangled web of suspectsWho were the victims?Who are the suspects?7 questions being asked about Islam How the Charlie Hebdo attackers were radicalizedMore Top StoriesSaudi Arabia's King Abdullah diesU.S.: 6,000 ISIS fighters killedHope Solo suspended from U.S. Soccer teamUncle leaves 9-year-old twins home alone for monthsTom Brady weighs in on 'Deflategate'University didn't educate us, athletes sayMore from EuropePrince Andrew denies sex abuse claimsMore bloodshed, blame in Ukraine after shelling kills civilians in DonetskToxic mix that makes Belgium fertile ground for terrorismMore from Ben BrumfieldFrance: Raids kill 3 suspects, including 2 wanted in Charlie Hebdo attackWoman sees images of black males as sniper targets; one is her brotherNewsWorldSportTechnologyEntertainmentStyleTravelMoneyRegionsU.S.ChinaAfricaLatin AmericaAsiaEuropeMiddle EastVideoStories Worth WatchingShowsCNN en EspañolTVTV ShowsScheduleAnchors and ReportersFeaturesOpinionsiReportCNN Profiles A-ZMore…PhotosWeatherCNN MobileTools & ExtrasInternational EditionU.S.InternationalArabicEspañolMexicoSet edition preference© 2015 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.Terms of servicePrivacy guidelinesAdChoicesAdvertise with usAbout usContact usWork for usHelpTranscriptsLicense FootageCNN Newsource