Two brothers who were suspected in the attack this week on a Parisian satirical newspaper were killed in a standoff with authorities Friday, according to multiple reports.
Saïd and Chérif Kouachi had taken a single hostage at an industrial park in a town northeast of Paris and were surrounded by police. On Friday evening, French time, explosions and gunfire rang out as authorities launched an assault on the printing shop where the brothers were hiding, according to media reports.
{mosads}Both were killed and their hostage was freed during the assault, according to reports.
At around the same time, authorities launched a second operation aimed at another hostage-taker at a Kosher supermarket in Paris, who they named as Amedy Coulibaly, and who was believed to be connected to the brothers.
The hostage-taker at the market had been killed, according to reports. It was not clear if there were hostage injuries or deaths. After the operation, ambulances and emergency workers were seen heading toward the supermarket.
Coulibaly had reportedly said that he would kill his hostages if the brothers were attacked. Police had also released the name and picture of a female suspect, Hayat Boumeddiene, and said she was connected to the supermarket attack.
The Kouachi brothers were allegedly two of the three men behind the attack on the newspaper, Charlie Hebdo, that left 12 people dead. The paper had published cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.
A third suspect turned himself into authorities shortly after the newspaper shooting.