Gunshots heard as French police chase suspect vehicle Gunshots heard as French police chase suspect vehicle Gunshots heard as French police chase suspect vehicle THE GUNMEN'S LAST STAND: Charlie Hebdo killers seize HOSTAGE and are holed up in business premises near Paris airport as they tell police: 'We are ready to die as martyrs'

Al Qaeda brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi exchanged gunfire with police on dramatic car chase towards Paris
They are holed up in building with 'female' hostage after fleeing on foot to industrial estate 25 miles from capital
Runways closed at Charles de Gaulle airport amid fears militants have rocket launchers that can down aircraft
Pupil at school in lockdown said: 'We're scared. All the lights have been switched off. We've been told to stay inside'
Salesman tells how he shook hands with one of the gunman when they arrived, thinking he was a police officer
Massive hunt for Al Qaeda gunmen had focused on nearby forest around 50 miles north-east of Paris overnight

By Peter Allen and Simon Tomlinson and Martin Robinson and Hannah Roberts and Emine Sinmaz In Longpont For Mailonline and David Williams for the Daily Mail

Published: 03:02 EST, 9 January 2015 | Updated: 06:17 EST, 9 January 2015

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Armed police have surrounded the Charlie Hebdo killers after they seized a hostage and are now holed up in a business premises near a Paris airport.

Al Qaeda gunmen Said Kouachi, 34, and his brother, Cherif, 33, have reportedly told police negotiators: 'We are ready to die as martyrs'.

The hostage being held is believed to be a woman, a police source said.

They are surrounded in the village of Dammartin-en-Goele, around 25 miles from the capital.

Officials denied earlier reports that two people had been killed when the gunmen exchanged fire with police on a dramatic car chase earlier this morning. But police confirmed a hostage had been taken.

Snipers have their weapons trained on the building and helicopters are hovering overhead as negotiations were underway with the Islamic fanatics.

Runways have been closed at Charles de Gaulle airport, around five miles away over fears the gunmen have rocket launchers capable of bringing down an aircraft. Schools are also in lockdown.

One of the pupils inside the Dammartin-en-Goele high school said by phone from inside: 'We are scared. We’ve called our parents to make sure they’re OK.

'We've been told we have to stay inside. All the lights have been switched off.’

After a meeting with President Francois Hollande when news of the pursuit broke, politician Nicolas Dupont-Aignan said: ‘It’s time to terrorise the terrorists.’

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Armed police train their weapons on a building where the the two Charlie Hebdo gunmen are holed up with a hostage as they sit in a helicopter over the village of Dammartin-en-Goele
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Armed police train their weapons on a building where the the two Charlie Hebdo gunmen are holed up with a hostage as they sit in a helicopter over the village of Dammartin-en-Goele
French special forces rush to the scene of a hostage-taking at an industrial estate in Dammartin-en-Goele, where the two Charlie Hebdo gunmen are holed up in a printing business amid firefights with police
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French special forces rush to the scene of a hostage-taking at an industrial estate in Dammartin-en-Goele, where the two Charlie Hebdo gunmen are holed up in a printing business amid firefights with police
Siege: The gunmen are holed up in a storage unit which is surrounded by police commandos who have begun negotiations to try to secure the release of the hostages
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Siege: The gunmen are holed up in a storage unit which is surrounded by police commandos who have begun negotiations to try to secure the release of the hostages
Trapped: The brothers were cornered in the premises of a construction firm after stealing a car from a nearby town earlier
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Trapped: The brothers were cornered in the premises of a construction firm after stealing a car from a nearby town earlier

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2903042/Are-Charlie-Hebdo-killers-martyrdom-mission-Police-fear-fugitive-gunmen-planning-spectacular-stand-88-000-troops-continue-search-vast-forest.html#ixzz3OK3qDvjt
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