India will stand by France in its fight against terrorism: MEA

 The Government of India on Thursday condemned the attack on French satire magazine Charlie Hebdo's office, adding that the nation will stand by France and its people in their fight against terrorism.

"Our leadership has condemned this incident in no uncertain terms. The Prime Minister immediately condemned it as dastardly incident. The External Affairs Minister wrote a letter to her counterpart in which she expressed her shock and said that India stands ready with France and its people in its fight against terrorism," Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin told mediapersons. "The intent is to continue to work with France in both bilateral and multilateral forums to tackle issues of terrorism. The people and Government of India are committed in their fight against terrorism," he added.

On Wednesday, gunmen entered the offices of Charlie Hebdo and opened fire. The incident left 12 people dead, including two police officers, with five others seriously wounded. Charlie Hebdo has reportedly been facing threats after it published a series of cartoon depicting Prophet Muhammad in 2011 and more recently, ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.