PARIS MASSACRE: French President, Hollande Declares National Mourning

French president, Francois Hollande

French president, Francois Hollande has declared national mourning for the Paris Massacre in which 10 journalists and two policemen were killed.

Media report flags are flying at half mast around the state capital.

Other reports also cite an armed man was sighted in Paris’ La Defense business district, according to reports. It is unknown if he is the same individual suspected in the La porte de Chatillon attack earlier on Thursday, which left one police officer dead and a city employee critically injured.

Employees at La Defense, Europe's largest purpose-built business district, have been told not to leave their offices following reports of the gunman. Helicopters have been reported hovering in the area.

The leader of France’s rightwing Front National (FN), Marine Le Pen, has announced she would reintroduce the death penalty if she wins France’s 2017 presidential election.

“I personally believe that the death penalty should exist in our legal arsenal,” Le Pen told television channel France 2.

“I always said that I would offer French citizens the possibility to express themselves on the topic through a referendum,” she added.