BERLIN - German Chancellor Angela Merkel condemned a deadly shooting by black-hooded gunmen at a newspaper's office in Paris on Wednesday, calling it an attack on freedom of speech and the press. At least 12 people were shot dead at the office of Charlie Hebdo, a satirical newspaper that had published cartoons lampooning Muslim leaders. 'This abominable act is not only an attack on the lives of French citizens and their security,' Merkel said in a statement. 'It is also an attack on freedom of speech and the press, core elements of our free democratic culture. In no way can this be justified.' In a separate statement, Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel called the attack an 'unbelievably brutal crime'.
