French police detain 9 in massive hunt for 2 suspects

PARIS (AP) -- Frightened yet defiant, French residents held a day of mourning Thursday for 12 people slain at a Paris newspaper. French police hunted for the two heavily armed brothers suspected in the massacre, fearing they might strike again.<br /> <br /> The two suspects - one a former pizza deliveryman who had a prior terror conviction and a fondness for rap -should be considered "armed and dangerous," French police said in a bulletin.<br /> <br /> Ninety people have been questioned so far in the investigation and nine people close to the two suspects - Cherif Kouachi, 32, and his 34-year-old brother Said Kouachi - were detained for further questioning, officials said.<br /> <br /> Authorities extended France's maximum terror alert from Paris to the northern Picardie region, focusing on several towns that might be possible safe havens for the two suspects, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve told reporters.<br /> <br /> French President Francois Hollande - joined by residents, tourists and Muslim leaders - called for tolerance after the country's worst terrorist attack in decades. At noon, the Paris metro came to a standstill and a crowd fell silent near Notre Dame cathedral to honor Wednesday's victims.<br /> <br /> "France has been struck directly in the heart of its capital, in a place where the spirit of liberty - and thus of resistance - breathed freely," Hollande said.<br /> <br /> France's prime minister said the possibility of a new attack "is our main concern" and announced several overnight arrests. Tensions ran high in Paris, where 800 extra police patrolled schools, places of worship and transit hubs. Britain increased its security checks at ports and borders.<br /> <br /> The satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo had caricatured the Prophet Muhammad and witnesses said the attackers claimed allegiance to al-Qaida in Yemen. Around the world, from Berlin to Bangkok, thousands filled squares and streets, holding up pens to defend freedom of speech and honor those killed in the massacre.<br /> <br /> "The only thing we can do is to live fearlessly," wrote Kai Diekmann, editor in chief of Bild, Germany's biggest-selling daily. "Our colleagues in Paris have paid the ultimate price for freedom. We bow before them."

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