EU vows terror fight after Paris attack

[BRUSSELS] The European Union strongly condemned the "revolting" attack on a satirical magazine in Paris in which 12 people died on Wednesday, expressing solidarity with France and vowing to pursue the fight against terrorism.

Donald Tusk, the new president of the European Council which groups the leaders of the 28-nation EU, said he was "shocked" by the attack on the offices of the Charlie Hebdo weekly.

"The European Union stands beside France after this appalling act. It is a brutal attack against our fundamental values and against the freedom of expression, a pillar of our democracy," the former Polish premier said in a statement.

"The fight against terrorism in all its forms must continue unabated." Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, the executive arm of the 28-nation EU, also said he was profoundly shocked by the "brutal and inhuman attack".

"This is an intolerable act, an act of barbarism which challenges us all as human and Europeans," Juncker said in a statement, expressing "highest solidarity" with France.

French police launched a huge manhunt after gunmen shouting Islamist slogans stormed the office of the magazine, which has sparked anger in the past among Muslims for publishing cartoons of the prophet.

AFP