Lawmakers: Paris attack ‘act of barbarity’

Lawmakers strongly condemned an attack in Paris Wednesday in which masked gunmen opened fire at the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, killing 12.

“The slaughter of journalists and the law enforcement officers trying to protect them is an outrage, and I utterly condemn the perpetrators of this carnage,” said Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), president of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.

{mosads}“Today’s terrorist attack on the offices of the Charlie Hebdo magazine was an appalling act of barbarity and an assault on the values our Alliance stands for,” Turner added.

The gunmen reportedly shouted “God is great” in Arabic as they opened fired, according to witnesses.

French police identified the three suspects late Wednesday as Said Kouachi, 34 years old, his brother Cherif Kouachi, 32; and 18-year-old Hamyd Mourad.

Lawmakers framed the attack as an assault on Western values.

“Simply stated, radical Islam — through extreme violence and intimidation — is trying to replace our way of life with theirs,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said. “I have no doubt they will ultimately fail, but the question is how many will be injured or killed before that day arrives?”

France is a close NATO ally and a partner in the U.S.-led coalition in the war against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The nation was the first to join the air campaign against ISIS in Iraq.

“The United States stands ready to assist our French partners, and we join with them in sending a clear message to extremists: your campaign of terror will be stopped and you will be brought to justice,” Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, said in a statement.

“The Paris attack was also a direct assault on the most cherished pillar of a free society — the freedom of speech — and all of us have a duty to defend the right of journalists, commentators and other creators to speak and write freely and without fear,” said Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), a senior member of the House Intelligence Committee and chairman of the Congressional Caucus for Freedom of the Press.

Graham said the attack was an opportunity for the U.S. to reevaluate its own national security posture.

“I fear our intelligence capabilities, those designed to prevent such an attack from taking place on our shores, are quickly eroding,” he said.

“I fear we can expect and must prepare for more attacks like this in the future,” he said.

This post was updated at 10:03 p.m.