Shots have reportedly been fired in a car chase near Charles de Gaulle Airport in north-eastern Paris, as France's biggest manhunt for the two suspects thought to be behind Wednesday's massacre enters its third day.

Reports suggest that a Peugeot 206 was hijacked in the Oise area north of Paris by two men matching the descriptions of the suspects.

Dammartin is on the same N2 trunk road on which Cherif and Said Kouachi, 32 and 34, held up a petrol statoon on Thursday but 30 miles nearer to Paris. Police and gendarmerie elite units, using tracker dogs and helicopters with searchlights, spent the night searching woodland and vilages in a zone 30 miles to the north of the reported gun battle.

In pictures: Charlie Hebdo suspects siege Show all 25 1 /25 In pictures: Charlie Hebdo suspects siege In pictures: Charlie Hebdo suspects siege Charlie Hebdo shooting French special forces sharp shooters take position on a rooftop of the complex at the scene of a hostage taking at an industrial zone in Dammartin-en-Goele, northeast of Paris In pictures: Charlie Hebdo suspects siege Charlie Hebdo shooting Special Forces sniper works on a roof the building on an industrial estate where it is thought the suspects linked to the Charlie Hebdo massacre are holding a hostage in Dammartin en Goele In pictures: Charlie Hebdo suspects siege Charlie Hebdo shooting Police take up a position on a roof in Dammartin-en-Goele, north-east of Paris, where two brothers suspected of slaughtering 12 people in an Islamist attack on French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo held one person hostage as police cornered the gunmen In pictures: Charlie Hebdo suspects siege Charlie Hebdo shooting Moment of explosion at Dammartin en Goele In pictures: Charlie Hebdo suspects siege Charlie Hebdo shooting Smoke rises from a building in Dammartin-en-Goele, north-east of Paris, where two brothers suspected of slaughtering 12 people in an Islamist attack on French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo held one person hostage as police cornered the gunmen In pictures: Charlie Hebdo suspects siege Charlie Hebdo shooting French gendarmes secure the roundabout near the scene of a hostage taking at an industrial zone in Dammartin-en-Goele, northeast of Paris In pictures: Charlie Hebdo suspects siege Charlie Hebdo shooting Members of the French intervention gendarme forces arrive at the scene of a hostage taking at an industrial zone in Dammartin-en-Goele, northeast of Paris In pictures: Charlie Hebdo suspects siege Charlie Hebdo shooting French gendarmes block the access to the city of Dammartin-en-Goele where two brothers suspected of slaughtering 12 people in an Islamist attack on French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo held one person hostage as police cornered the gunmen In pictures: Charlie Hebdo suspects siege Charlie Hebdo shooting Officers of the french Special Police Forces look for the suspects linked to the 'Charlie Hebdo' attack near Dammartin-en-Goelle In pictures: Charlie Hebdo suspects siege Charlie Hebdo shooting French gendarmes secure the roundabout near the scene of a hostage taking at an industrial zone in Dammartin-en-Goele, northeast of Paris In pictures: Charlie Hebdo suspects siege Charlie Hebdo shooting French gendarmes patrol in Dammartin-en-Goele In pictures: Charlie Hebdo suspects siege Charlie Hebdo shooting Ambulances arrive in Dammartin-en-Goele, northeast Paris, as part of an operation to seize two heavily armed suspects In pictures: Charlie Hebdo suspects siege Charlie Hebdo shooting A police officer stands along a road near an industrial area where the suspects in the shooting attack at the satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo headquarters are reportedly holding a hostage, in Dammartin-en-Goele, some 40 kilometres north-east of Paris In pictures: Charlie Hebdo suspects siege Charlie Hebdo shooting A French police officer stands on the roof of a building where two brothers suspected of slaughtering 12 people in an Islamist attack on French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo held one person hostage as police cornered the gunmen, in Dammartin-en-Goele In pictures: Charlie Hebdo suspects siege Charlie Hebdo shooting A French Army helicopter with intervention forces hovers near the scene of a hostage taking at an industrial zone in Dammartin-en-Goele, northeast of Paris In pictures: Charlie Hebdo suspects siege Charlie Hebdo shooting Helicopters of the French Special Police Forces waits in a field surrounding an industrial estate where it is thought the suspects linked to the Charlie Hebdo massacre are holding a hostage in Dammartin en Goele In pictures: Charlie Hebdo suspects siege Charlie Hebdo shooting Police and army forces take positions in Dammartin-en-Goele, northeast Paris, as part of an operation to seize two heavily armed suspects In pictures: Charlie Hebdo suspects siege Charlie Hebdo shooting Police vans are lined up in Dammartin-en-Goele, northeast Paris, as part of an operation to seize two heavily armed suspects In pictures: Charlie Hebdo suspects siege Charlie Hebdo shooting French police patrol in Dammartin-en-Goele where a hostage-taking was underway after police hunting the Islamist brothers who killed 12 people in Paris, exchanged fire with two men during a car chase In pictures: Charlie Hebdo suspects siege Charlie Hebdo shooting Police officers gather to prepare an assault in an industrial area where the suspects in the shooting attack at the satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo headquarters are reportedly holding a hostage, in Dammartin-en-Goele, some 40 kilometres north-east of Paris In pictures: Charlie Hebdo suspects siege Charlie Hebdo shooting French police and gendarmes patrol in Dammartin-en-Goele where a hostage-taking was underway after police hunting the Islamist brothers who killed 12 people in Paris, exchanged fire with two men during a car chase In pictures: Charlie Hebdo suspects siege Charlie Hebdo shooting A helicopter of the French Gendarmerie flies over Dammartin-en-Goele where a hostage-taking was underway after police hunting the Islamist brothers who killed 12 people in Paris, exchanged fire with two men during a car chase In pictures: Charlie Hebdo suspects siege Charlie Hebdo shooting A member of French special forces stands on the roof of a building as a hostage-taking was underway after police hunting the Islamist brothers who killed 12 people in Paris, exchanged fire with two men during a car chase In pictures: Charlie Hebdo suspects siege Charlie Hebdo shooting A helicopter flies over Dammartin-en-Goele where a hostage-taking was underway after police hunting the Islamist brothers who killed 12 people in Paris, exchanged fire with two men during a car chase In pictures: Charlie Hebdo suspects siege Charlie Hebdo shooting Police officers stop a car at a check point outside Longpont