Mosques, a prayer hall and a kebab shop near a Muslim temple were targeted in the early hours of the morning following the terrorist attack - in which 12 people were murdered by suspected Islamist fanatics.

The retaliation comes as French citizens, and the international community, attempt to come to terms with yesterday's shocking and deadly assault on free speech.

In the city of Le Mans, west of Paris, three blank grenades were thrown at a mosque shortly after midnight - and a bullet was also fired through one of the windows.

In the Port-la-Nouvelle district, near Narbonne in southern France, several shots were fired in the direction of a Muslim prayer hall shortly after evening prayers.

According to French prosecutors, the hall was empty and no-one was injured.

A kebab shop, located near a mosque in the eastern French town of Villefranche-sur-Saone, was also blown up. Again, there were no casualties.  

Eight journalists - including the magazine's editor - died in yesterday's attack, along with two policemen, a maintenance worker and another visitor when the masked terrorists stormed the Charlie Hebdo offices in the 11th arrondissement of Paris.

The magazine has become a byword for offensive statements in France after taking several highly provocative swipes at Islam.

The newspaper once named Prophet Mohammed as its guest editor, published cartoons of the holy figure in the nude, and once renamed itself Sharia Hebdo with the cover slogan '100 lashes if you don't die of laughter'. 

Today, four leading French imams denounced the massacre, warning that the world is a dangerous place without freedom of expression but urging the media to be respectful of religion.

Djelloul Seddiki, head of the great mosque of Paris; Tareq Oubrou, director of the Bordeaux mosque; Azzedine Gaci of the Villeurbanne mosque; and Mohammed Moussaoui, president of the Union of Mosques in France, joined Pope Francis in condemning the cruelty of the attack.

Tonight, two armed suspects wanted over the massacre - believed to be brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi - were being pursued through woodland as a huge manhunt closed in on a forest.

(dailymail.co.uk)