At least 11 people were killed including two policemen, and five wounded in a shooting at the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo, a satirical newspaper firebombed in the past after publishing cartoons in 2011 joking about Muslim leaders, French TV channel iTELE reported.

A victim is evacuated on a stretcher after the attack on the Hebdo offices.

President Hollande spoke at the Charlie Hebdo offices, confirming the 11 deaths and four seriously wounded. He said it is a "terrorist attack" of "exceptional barbarity". The French president also said that "several terrorist attacks were thwarted in recent weeks".

"About a half an hour ago two black-hooded men entered the building with Kalashnikovs (guns)," Benoit Bringer told the station. "A few minutes later we heard lots of shots," he said, adding that the men were then seen fleeing the building.