Paris Terror Attack: How the Dual Standoffs With French Terror Suspects Unfolded

The standoffs ended with the deaths of three terror suspects.

ByABC News
January 9, 2015, 6:03 PM
Police forces storm the Hyper Cacher kosher grocery store in Porte de Vincennes, eastern Paris,  Jan. 9, 2015.
Police forces storm the Hyper Cacher kosher grocery store in Porte de Vincennes, eastern Paris, Jan. 9, 2015.
FameFlynet

— -- The manhunt for the suspects from Wednesday's terror attack came to a head in the early hours of this morning and spread when a second standoff including hostages unfolded in Paris.

The situation rapidly escalated with two different scenes splitting the attention of authorities as they tried to determine the connection between the separate crises.

Here is an account of how the day unfolded, as explained around the two different standoffs.

THE BROTHERS' LAST STAND

Starting around 8:45 a.m. Local/2:45 a.m. ET

• According to French media, at around 8:45 a.m. local time, the two brothers stole a Peugeot in the village of Montagny Sainte Felicite.

• About 15 minutes later, an Interior Ministry spokesman told French radio that there was an exchange of fire with police who were manning a roadblock on the N2 motorway near Dammartin-en-Geole as the Kouachi brothers approached Paris. No one was injured in the clash.

• Said and Cherif Kouachi, who were the alleged assailants in the Charlie Hebdo attack that left 12 dead on Wednesday, then drove into Dammartin-en-Geole’s industrial estate where, by 9:30 a.m. local time, they holed up inside the CTD printing company.

• The printing company is about 25 miles away from the area where police were searching for the suspects on Thursday evening.

• A salesman from CTD told radio station "France Info" that he encountered the gunmen as they entered the building, but they let him go saying “we don’t kill civilians.”

• Townspeople were told by local officials to stay indoors. Some 200 students, aged 3 to 10, were on lockdown inside the Henry Dunant elementary school, which is 500 yards from the printing company. The principal, Valerie Tarcere, told ABC News: "All pupils are in classrooms, staying away from windows, sitting on the floor, watching TV or singing songs in order not to get panicked."

• Flights at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, located some 10 miles away, are restricted for fear planes taking off and landing on some runways could be targeted.

By 11:30 a.m. Local/5:30 a.m. ET

• French special forces seen on the roof of a building near the scene of the siege.

By 1:00 p.m. Local/7:00 a.m. ET

• Schools near building are being evacuated.

• Officials confirm negotiations with the terrorists are underway.

• A spokesman for the Interior Ministry later told ABC News that throughout the day, a graphic designer named Lilian was hiding the whole time, on the second floor under boxes. He was feeding the authorities information via text message. The brothers never knew he was there.

• The owner of the printing company, Michel Catalano, was never a hostage, according to the spokesman.

THE SUPERMARKET HOSTAGE SITUATION BEGINS

Around 1:00 p.m. Local/7:00 a.m. ET

• A gunman enters Kosher grocery store in Porte de Vincennes, taking several hostages.

• Around 1:45 p.m. local time, SWAT teams are seen moving into position after reports of shooting in kosher supermarket.

• Police did not immediately confirm the two incidents were related. In fact, on Thursday, the Interior Minister said the brothers did not know the supermarket hostage taker, who was wanted for the killing of a policewoman that same day.

• By 4:00 p.m. local, police confirm that there is a link between the two hostage situations and that the suspect at the grocery store knows at least one of the brothers.

THE GUNMEN SPEAK

A little before 10:00 a.m. Local/4:00 a.m. ET

• A journalist from French television station BFM called the printing press and Cherif Kouachi picked up. The first phone call lasted a few seconds, then they called each other again and they record the conversation.

Just after 3:00 p.m. Local/9:00 a.m. ET

• BFM received a call from supermarket gunman Amedy Coulibaly.

THE SIEGES AND AFTERMATH

At 4:56 p.m. Local/10:56 a.m. ET

• Booms and shooting heard from the print factory where the brothers were holed up.

• The spokesman for the Interior Ministry says the police did not initiate the assault but the brothers came out guns blazing, sparking the gunbattle.

• Blasts and shooting were heard for several minutes and it was unclear at which point the brothers were killed. Reports of their demise come out within 30 minutes of the shooting.

At 5:13 p.m. Local/11:13 a.m. ET

• Booms and explosions heard near supermarket.

• Live video from the scene shows it was all over within a minute or two as police rush in and hostages rush out.

• At 11:53 a.m., the French ambassador to the U.S. confirms that the alleged terrorist is dead.

At 7:45 p.m. Local/1:45 p.m. ET, French President Francois Hollande addresses the nation on television

• He saluted the bravery and efficiency of police, but warned that France will continue to face these threats.

• He called for “vigilance ... and unity.” Unity, he said, is our best weapon. He warned against racism and anti-Semitism. He said the perpetrators have nothing to do with Islam.

• He said the French are a free people who will not bow to pressure and they will defend their ideals.