Parisians flock to the Place de la Republic Wednesday night -- a show of French solidarity against the violence of earlier in the day.

The country is reeling from the worst militant assault on French soil in recent decades.

Gunmen killed ten journalists and two police officers in an attack on the satyrical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, known for lampooning radical Islam.

Many SOUNDBITE (French) CLAUDETTE SAYING:

"I think of the families; they had parents, friends in this sort of atrocious situation. It's hard to say much because we are horrified... horrified."

A Syrian Islamic State fighter praised the attack, telling Reuters the raid was revenge for insults against Islam.

Two senior figures from France's Muslim community condemned the shooting, saying "satan" is the attackers' real prophet, not Mohammed.

(SOUNDBITE) (French) HEAD OF THE PARIS GRAND MOSQUE AND PRESIDENT OF THE MUSLIM COUNCIL IN FRANCE, DALIL BOUBAKEUR, SAYING:

"Truly, Islam co