UK emergency meeting on Charlie Hebdo terror attack implications

The UK government crisis committee is meeting to check security measures are in place to protect the country after the deadly attack on the headquarters of Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris.

The Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms A (COBRA) meeting was to be chaired by Home Secretary Theresa May with the attendance of different security and police service officials, “to discuss the implications to UK security from the attack in Paris.”

The government said representatives from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the defence, transport, communities and local government ministries were to be present in the meeting.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron could not attend as he was holding a press conference with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Cameron expressed his country’s support for the French people and offered the French government any assistance needed to bring the attackers on the satirical magazine to justice.

Some 12 people, including several journalists and cartoonists, were killed in the Wednesday attack on the magazine.

“There is no one single answer to these appalling terrorist attacks. We have to all be vigilant. We have to try to address all the problems of radicalisation that have happened in our country,” Cameron said in a message on Facebook.

UK political party leaders expressed their solidarity with the French.

Labour Party leader Ed Miliband tweeted: “We stand in solidarity with France against this evil attack by terrorists intent on attacking our democratic way of life and freedom of speech.”

Leader of the Liberal Democrats Party Nick Clegg tweeted: “The British people are in solidarity with the French people. These acts of terror will never shake our commitment to freedom of expression.”

Nigel Farage, leader of the UK Independence Party, told Channel 4 News: “The attacks are truly horrific with obviously some very worrying implications for our civilisation.” He argued the free movement of people across European borders did not aid the fight against attacks like those that happened in Wednesday.

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