The suspected two gunmen were "formally recognised" by an employee at a petrol station south of Longpont this morning, France 24 reports. He said they wore balaclavas and were equipped with kalashnikovs and rocket-propelled grenades.

France 24 reported that an Interior Ministry official had earlier played down the chances of finding the gunmen in Longpont village. "We have not found them, there is no siege," he had said.

Local media say the hunt for the gunmen is focused on the village of Longpont in north-east of Paris. Villagers there also being reportedly told to stay at home and keep their doors shut.

Interior Minister Cazeneuve says nine people have been detained so far as part of the investigation.

France 24 reports it is believed that the Charlie Hebdo shooting suspects are on foot, and that police forces' PUMA helicopters deployed are equipped with infrared and body heat tracking tech.

The French Interior Ministry has informed that around 88,000 people are involved in the manhunt for the the Charlie Hebdo gunmen.

Police continue door-to-door searches in Corcy, north-east of Paris.

The latest reports say that it will remain unclear whether the police are closing in on the attackers until after they have apprehended (or not) the suspects.

The manhunt for the two suspects seems to have moved to another phase as the French police have surrounded a house where the two gunmen may be held up, reported France24. TV visuals showed thick police presence outside a house in a town north-east of Paris.

Meanwhile, French news agency, AFP, is reporting that French prosecutors are officially treating Thursday's shooting in Paris, in which a policewoman died, as a terrorist act.

In the latest news coming from France, it is being reported that the two armed suspects have now abandoned the car. Molotov cocktails and jihadist flags were found in the vehicle, AFP reports.

The two gunmen, who were spotted moving in a car full of weapons, are said to have held up a gas station, stealing food and petrol and they fired gunshots as they fled, reports said. Police officers rushed to the scene and now even military helicopters were seen hovering over the area, the BBC reported.

People across the world have popularised "I am Charlie" or "Je Suis Charlie" slogan in the aftermath of deadly attack on French magazine Hebdo Charlie. Silent vigils were held across the world and people placed pen and pencils as a tribute to the slain journalists.

The Britain, too, has beefed up security at key points in the country in wake of Paris attack, reports say.

France has deployed police at main entrance points to Paris so as to check their exit from the town, says reports.

The Kouachi brothers are said to have been spotted moving in a light grey coloured car north east of Paris, the BBC says. The gunmen are believed to be masked and armed. Their car's registration plates were also masked, according to a witness. Police believe they may be heading back to Paris, and armed officers are being posted at access points into the capital.

The two armed suspects were recognised by the manager of a petrol station near Villers-Cotteret in the northern Aisne region of France, the AFP reported.

Meanwhile, in a befitting response to the terror attack, one of the editors of the targeted French satirical weekly, has said that the next issue of Charlie Hebdo will come out next Wednesday as scheduled, despite the gory attack on its magazine. We "will not let stupidity win", Patrick Pelloux told AFP.

It's 11:00 am in France and the entire nation has paused for a minute of silence to mourn the victims of Charlie Hebdo attack. People gathered outside Notre Dame in Paris to pay a silent tribute to those slain in the terror attack yesterday. Also, the bells of Notre Dame will keep ringing for ten minutes.

In the latest from France, an AFP alert says that the gunmen matching the description of Kouachi brothers who carried out Charlie Hebdo attack, have been located in the northern part of the country at Villers-Cotterets in Aisne region​. The report says that they were seen in a car full of weapons in northern France.