The police assaults came after three tense days in France
The Kouachi brothers killed 12 people and injured 11 more in
Wednesday's attack on the office of Charlie Hebdo, a satirical magazine
The unprecedented attack shocked France and there has been an outpouring of sympathy and solidarity worldwide.
The brothers then went on the run, before being surrounded at Dammartin.
The hostage taker in Paris has been named as Amedy Coulibaly,
32. It is not clear whether he had an accomplice but police are looking
for his partner, Hayat Boumeddiene, 26.
Coulibaly knew one of the Charlie Hebdo attackers and their
respective partners had spoken on the phone more than 500 times, Mr
Molins said.
During Friday's siege, Coulibaly had threatened to kill his captives if police attempted to capture the brothers, he added.
Earlier on Friday, a man claiming to be Coulibaly told French
TV station BFMTV that he was a member of the Islamic State militant
group, and that he had "co-ordinated" his attack with the Kouachi
brothers.
Coulibaly has been linked by DNA tests to the killing of a policewoman in the southern suburb of Montrouge on Thursday.
Late on Friday, the Yemen branch of al-Qaeda (AQAP) released
an audio message praising the attacks in France but stopped short of
claiming responsibility for the assault on the offices of Charlie Hebdo.
AQAP senior leader Sheikh Harith al-Nadhari said "some in
France have misbehaved with the prophets of God," adding that "God's
faithful soldiers" had taught them "the limits of freedom of speech".
How the day unfolded (all times GMT)
07:00 - The Kouachi brothers hijack a car in
Montagny-Sainte-Felicite, north of Paris. They are said to be carrying
weapons including a rocket launcher.
08:30 - Pursued along the N2 road towards Paris, they
exchange fire with police and take refuge in a printing works in
Dammartin-en-Goele. They take the manager hostage.
10:30 - The manager is released, but another employee remains in the building.
12:15 - A man identified as Amedy Coulibaly takes several
people hostage at a supermarket near Porte de Vincennes in eastern
Paris. Coulibaly is also suspected of having shot dead a policewoman on
Thursday.
16:00 - The brothers emerge in Dammartin, opening fire on
police. Both men are killed. The trapped employee is released and tells
police he had been hiding on the second floor, unknown to the gunmen.
16:15 - Security forces move into the supermarket in Paris
and kill Coulibaly. It emerges that four hostages at the supermarket
have been killed, but 15 others are freed.
18:55 - Addressing the nation, President Hollande calls for
France to "remain vigilant" and praises the "courage, bravery and
efficiency" of the police forces.
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