Chérif Kouachi, one of the two brothers who killed 12 people in an attack on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, has been buried in an unmarked grave near Paris under tight security, the local mayor’s office said.

Kouachi was buried late on Saturday at a cemetery in Gennevilliers, where he used to live, officials said.

No relatives attended the funeral and the grave was unmarked to avoid it becoming “a pilgrimage site” for Islamist militants, the official said.

“His wife did not wish to take part in the funeral. He did not have anyone. It was extremely calm,” the official added.

Chérif Kouachi’s widow had asked for both brothers to be buried in the cemetery at Gennevilliers, about five miles northwest of central Paris, but the local mayor Patrice Leclerc blocked the request since Saïd, the older brother, was not a resident of the area.

Leclerc said he had “no legal choice but to allow the burial of Chérif Kouachi to go ahead”.

Saïd Kouachi was buried the previous night in the north-eastern town of Reims, where he had lived for around two years.

His funeral was held under heavy police protection and with a handful of family members present, according to a well-informed source.

His widow decided not to attend the burial in order to keep it secret, said her lawyer Antoine Flasaquier.

“She is now relieved that her husband has been buried with discretion and dignity,” the lawyer said.

Under French law, relatives must request permission for a burial from the local town hall, which has to be granted if the individual lived or died in the area, or has a family burial plot there.