Muslim police officer was among victims of Paris attack
The last of the 12 victims slain in the terror attack on the French newspaper Charlie Hebdo was a police officer -- the son of immigrants from mainly Muslim North Africa -- who was shot dead on the sidewalk by one of the assailants as they started their getaway.
Police officials identified him as Ahmed Merabet. As details about his death became known, a campaign of solidarity quickly caught fire on social media Thursday, using the phrase "Je Suis Ahmed" -- I Am Ahmed. That echoed the campaign of support for the satirical newspaper that spread widely after the attack, using the slogan "Je Suis Charlie."
Merabet also drew attention at the United Nations.
"He himself was a Muslim," UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told reporters. "This is another reminder of we're facing together. This is not a war on religion. ... It is an assault on our common humanity."
