OTTAWA--Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and French President Francois Hollande pledged Friday to work more closely to stamp out the threat of terrorism, after an attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
In a telephone conversation, "the two leaders condemned the attacks and spoke of the importance of cooperating to counter the scourge of extremism and terrorism," Harper's office said in a statement.
Harper also offered condolences and "indicated that Canada stands in solidarity with France as it mourns this senseless loss of life and reiterated that Canada and its allies will not be intimidated by those who threaten peace, freedom, including freedom of the press, and democracy."
Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney, meanwhile, will travel to Paris to attend a summit on terrorism with his European and US counterparts, and join a march in memory of the victims of the magazine attack.
The two suspects in the Charlie Hebdo attack, Said Kouachi and his brother Cherif, were killed Friday when police stormed the building where they were holed up -- two days after bursting into Charlie Hebdo's offices and slaughtering some of France's best-loved cartoonists.
A third jihadist ally who assaulted a Jewish supermarket in eastern Paris was also found dead along with four hostages after a police raid.
Canada was similarly rocked by two lone wolf attacks in October that killed two soldiers and led to a lockdown of the capital after a gunman stormed parliament before being shot dead by security officials.
AFP
