Hagel: Pentagon ‘ready to assist our French allies’

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Wednesday condemned the “barbaric and cowardly” terrorist attack on a French newspaper that killed 12 and said the Pentagon was ready to offer assistance.

“Along with all the men and women of the U.S. Department of Defense, I offer my condolences to the families and friends of those lost in today’s terrorist attack in Paris. We condemn this barbaric and cowardly act,” said Hagel. 

{mosads}”The Department of Defense, including through our European Command, will continue to monitor the situation in Paris closely, and we stand ready to assist our French allies in the aftermath of today’s attack,” he added. 

Three masked gunmen on Wednesday morning stormed the newsroom of Charlie Hebdo, a satirical paper known for poking fun at religions, including Islam.

According to witness reports, the gunmen yelled “God is Great” in Arabic during the attacks. French police have identified the gunmen who fled the scene, according to French news outlet Metro News. The paper is reporting their ages are 18, 32 and 34. 

The older men are brothers of French nationality. The nationality of the youngest attacker, who is homeless, is not known, the outlet said. 

France is a member of the U.S.-led coalition in the war against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). It is unclear who is behind the attacks, but intelligence agencies say ISIS in recent months has sought to recruit westerners to carry out violence in their home countries.

“The United States and France have stood together, time and again, for the universal values we share and in opposition to the terror we deplore,” said Hagel on Wednesday. “We do so again today.”