Gunfire has been reported at the headquarters of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris.

Police have confirmed 11 people are dead. Witnesses said two black-clad gunmen armed with automatic weapons stormed the premises and later escaped aboard a getaway vehicle.

Le Figaro reported that a police officer sustained a gunshot wound during the attack on the premises in boulevard Richard-Lenoir.

At least a police officer is said to be among the dead. During the shootout some of the magazine's staff took shelter on the roof of the building.

Attaque en cours de deux hommes en cagoule dans les locaux de CharlieHebdo. On est réfugié sur le toit pic.twitter.com/0TqFwIVJoF January 7, 2015

Numerous police forces and paramedics were at the scene.

In 2012 anti-riot police were sent to patrol Charlie Hebdo's offices, after the building was firebombed and its website hacked following the publication of cartoons caricaturing the Prophet Mohammed.

The cartoons depicted the Prophet Mohammed naked, as well as an imam in a wheelchair being pushed by a rabbi.

The police patrol was still in force as the gunmen stormed the premises.

French authorities have been on high alert following a spate of attacks that sparked fears of Islamic terrorism before Christmas.

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