Terrorists attacked a French newspaper on Wednesday, leaving 12 people dead and at least 4 others in critical condition in Paris hospitals.

Officials say that police officers were killed along with members of the Charlie Hebdo newspaper staff as the gunmen fled the scene of the attack.

The newspaper had been the subject of hatred from Muslims because of cartoons that mocked Islam and the prophet Mohammed.  The gunman who attacked the newspaper today were shouting “allahu akbar” and also “we have avenged the prophet.”

“We heard shouting in the street,” Benoît Bringer, who works at a press agency on the same floor as the magazine’s offices, told France Info radio. “We saw hooded men carrying Kalashnikovs entering the building. We called the police. After a few minutes we heard heavy firing – a lot of firing, a hell of a lot. We went upstairs to take shelter on the roof. Then after about 10 minutes we saw two armed men come out onto the street. There was more shouting, more firing.”

“Three policemen had arrived on bikes but had to leave because the men were armed, obviously … Then the attackers took off in a car.”

A woman told L’Humanite newspaper that she had been forced at gunpoint to let the terrorists in the building:

“I had gone to pick up my daughter from daycare. Arriving at the door of the newspaper building, two hooded and armed men brutally threatened us.  They wanted to enter, go up. I typed the code. They shot Wolinski, Cabu … it lasted five minutes … I had taken refuge under a desk … They spoke French perfectly … claiming to be Al-Qaeda.”

President Obama condemned the attack.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this terrorist attack and the people of France at this difficult time,” the statement reads. “France is America’s oldest ally, and has stood shoulder to shoulder with the United States in the fight against terrorists who threaten our shared security and the world. Time and again, the French people have stood up for the universal values that generations of our people have defended. France, and the great city of Paris where this outrageous attack took place, offer the world a timeless example that will endure well beyond the hateful vision of these killers. We are in touch with French officials and I have directed my Administration to provide any assistance needed to help bring these terrorists to justice.”

Thousands of police and French troops are conducting a manhunt for the three terrorists who carried out the attack.