President Obama Condemns 'Cowardly, Evil' Paris Terror Attack on Charlie Hebdo

President Obama condemned the Paris terror attack on satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo Wednesday as “cowardly, evil attacks.”

“For us to see the kind of cowardly, evil attacks that took place today I think reinforces once again why it’s so important for us to stand in solidarity with them just as they stand in solidarity with us,” the president said, speaking from the Oval Office.

Also Read: 12 Dead in Shooting at French Satirical Newspaper (Updating)

He added: “I thought it was appropriate to express my deepest sympathies to the people of Paris and the people of France for the terrible terrorist attacks that took place earlier today,” the president said. “All of us recognize that France is one of our oldest allies, our strongest allies, they have been with us at every moment from 9/11 on from dealing with some of the terrorist organizations around the world who threaten us.”

Also Read: MPAA Chairman Chris Dodd Calls Paris Shooting ‘Cowardly Attempts at the Destruction of Freedom of Speech’

A terror attack by what appears to be Islamic radicals killed at least 12 people at the offices of French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo Wednesday morning. Another 11 people were injured, four of them seriously.

See photos: French Terror Attack: The Horrifying Shooting Scene at Charlie Hebdo (Photos)

The president added: “The fact that this was an attack on journalists, an attack on our free press, also underscores the degree to which these terrorists fear freedom of speech, and freedom of the press, but the one thing that I’m very confident about is that the values that we share with the French people, a belief, a universal belief in freedom and expression is something that won’t be silenced because of the senseless violence.”

Paris Terror Attack: The Horrifying Shooting Scene at Charlie Hebdo (Photos)

Security footage of the gunmen as they arrive at the Charlie Hedbo newspaper headquarters in a black car.
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The heavily armed gunmen open fire on the first police responders on the scene.
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Police and paramedics crowd the street the outside Charlie Hedbo office.
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A bullet hole in a window of the Charlie Hebdo office.
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French President Francois Hollande surveys the carnage in Paris.
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A damaged police car is hauled away after gunmen attacked the newspaper's office on Jan. 7, 2015.
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The defiant slogan in support of the paper lights up the side of a building during a rally.
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People line the streets for a rally in support of Charlie Hebdo, which was attacked by gunmen for printing cartoons making fun of the prophet Muhammad.
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People raise their pens in support of the newspaper Charlie Hebdo following the attack which killed 12 people.
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Police cross the street in preparation for a stand off with possible terrorist suspects
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Special Forces soldiers and police gather after storming a building where suspects linked to the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Dammartin en Goele, France.
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Police gather around compact European vehicles in France.
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Special Forces and police gather after storming a building where suspects linked to the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Dammartin en Goele, France.
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A French police helicopter
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Hostages and police walk the streets of France after a standoff with Charlie Hebdo terror suspects
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Hostages and police walk the streets of France after a standoff with Charlie Hebdo terror suspects
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French President François Hollande confers with his colleagues in the wake of the police standoff with Charlie Hebdo terror suspects
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