French magazine reprints anti-Islamic cartoons on eve of terror trial

The French magazine Charlie Hebdo has republished offensive cartoons of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) on the eve of the trial of suspects in a deadly attack on the paper’s office five years ago.

In January 2015, two terrorists attacked the magazine’s offices in Paris, killing 12 of its staff. The attack, condemned by Muslims across the world, was allegedly a response to the magazine’s offensive cartoon of the Prophet of Islam (PBUH).

In an editorial accompanying the republished cartoons on Tuesday, the paper said, “Reproducing these caricatures this week of the opening of the January 2015 terrorist attacks seemed essential to us. All the reasons that could be opposed to us relate only to political or journalistic cowardice.”

The French weekly has repeatedly provoked Muslim anger by publishing offensive cartoons of their Prophet.

The ones reprinted this week were originally published by the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten in 2005, and then republished by Charlie Hebdo in 2006.