French Police Question 8-Year-Old Boy For Praising Charlie Hebdo Attackers

An eight-year-old boy from the southern French city of Nice was questioned by police on Wednesday after he allegedly made comments expressing “solidarity” with the gunmen who had attacked the offices of CharlieHebdo magazine, according to media reports. The attack on the French satirical publication by militants, allegedly affiliated to al Qaeda, on Jan. 7, had led to the deaths of 12 people and triggered a state of high alert in countries across Europe. 

Authorities at the boy’s school notified the police on Jan. 8 after he refused to participate in a minute’s silence to honor those killed in the attack. The boy, whose name has not been disclosed, also reportedly said he supported the terrorists who attacked Charlie Hebdo as he opposed the caricatures of Prophet Muhammad that were printed by the magazine. "I am on the side of the terrorists, because I am against the caricatures of the prophet," he reportedly said.

The boy and his father are now being questioned by the police.