海角大神

Two brothers suspected of carrying out Wednesday's deadly聽assault on the offices of the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo remain at large amid a massive manhunt in northern France.聽

Tens of thousands of law enforcement officers have fanned out across the country in search of the two suspects accused of killing 12 people in a brazen daytime attack, France's worse聽terrorist attack in a generation.

Xavier Castaing, a police spokesman, told reporters that the two suspects had been spotted in the Picardy region northeast of Paris. French anti-terrorism police swarmed at least two towns in the region Thursday afternoon and began house-to-house searches, Reuters reports. Meanwhile, authorities extended France's maximum terror alert from Paris to Picardy.

French police said the two brothers, Said and Ch茅rif Kouachi, are 鈥渁rmed and dangerous.鈥� Having been under police surveillance for previous terrorism-related activities, The New York Times writes, the men had reportedly claimed during the attack that they acted on behalf of Al Qaeda in Yemen.

Citing an unnamed US law enforcement official, CNN reports that both suspects were in a US database of alleged terrorists and have been on a no-fly list for years. 聽

A third suspect in the attack turned himself into police overnight, and officials have detained nine people close to the two brothers for further questioning, the Associated Press reports. An additional 90 people have been questioned so far in the investigation.

While the search continues for the two French-born sons of Algerian parents, The Guardian reports that the information that led police to focus on Picardy is unconfirmed and conflicting.

In Paris, thousands of mourners gathered Thursday at landmarks across the city to remember the victims of Wednesday鈥檚 attack. A moment of silence was held at noon across France, and the lights of the Eiffel Tower were dimmed in honor of the honor of those slain.

海角大神鈥檚 Sara Miller Llana reports that the mood throughout Thursday was somber yet defiant.