Several people have been arrested in the hunt for two gunmen connected to the massacre of 12 journalists and policemen at the offices of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, the French Prime Minister said today.

Several people have been arrested in the hunt for two gunmen connected to the massacre of 12 journalists and policemen at the offices of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, the French Prime Minister said today.

Manuel Valls says there were "several arrests" overnight in the hunt for the three suspects, telling RTL radio that preventing another attack “is our main priority”.

French police have identified three suspects. Two have been named as brothers Said Kouachi and Cherif Kouachi and are believed to be French nationals of Algerian descent aged in their early 30s. Their accomplice was named as 18-year-old Hamyd Mourad. French media reported in the early hours of Thursday that he had surrendered to police.