For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails
A devastating tragedy, and another hard-line stream of consciousness from Donald Trump .
The property tycoon faced stark criticism on Twitter for blaming the shootings at French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on France’s ban on guns.
In a series of posts, The Apprentice US presenter outlined his own ideas as to why the attack in Paris, which left 10 journalists and two police officers dead, might have taken place:
Unsurprisingly, the response he received from most users was far from complimentary and frequently featured the word “moron”:
But Trump was not without his US supporters, some of which even urged him to run for President. Naturally flattered by their suggestions, he retweeted many of his favourites:
Not that we should perhaps be surprised by his reaction. As Barnaby Edwards reminds us, he is the same man who tweeted this two years ago:
Trump’s opinion stands at odds with many in the mainstream media, who have condemned the attacks as “barbaric”.
Booker Prize-winning author Salman Rushdie, who featured alongside late Charlie Hebdo editor Stephane “Charb” Charbonnier on Al Quaeda’s ‘Most Wanted’ list last year, branded the shootings a sign of the “deadly mutation at the heart of Islam” .
In a statement, Private Eye editor Ian Hislop said that “very little seems funny” in the wake of the tragedy.
Barack Obama, David Cameron and Angela Merkel have all vowed to stand up for freedom of expression.
Show all 39 1 /39In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Pencils, representing the freedom of expression, placed in tribute in Nantes
Reuters
In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack France's Jason Lamy Chappuis soars through the air over a message that reads "Je suis Charlie"
Getty
In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Solidarity in Nice
AP
In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Turkish citizens organised a vigil in front of the French consulate in Istanbul
AFP
In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Graffiti decorates a London wall in solidarity with the victims of the attack in Paris
AFP
In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A tribute of flowers and candles outside the French Embassy in Prague, Czech Republic
AP
In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Messages of sympathy near the Charlie Hebdo office in Paris
AFP
In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Workers install a poster reading 'Je suis Charlie' (I am Charlie) on the Palais des Festivals facade in Cannes
In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A woman looks at floral tributes left outside the Charlie Hebdo magazine offices in Paris
In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A woman places flowers near the offices of French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris
In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Journalists of international press agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) hold signs reading "Je suis Charlie" (I am Charlie) at their headquarters in Paris as they observe a minute of silence for the victims of an attack by armed gunmen on the offices of French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris which left at least 12 dead and many others injured
In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Pens and pencils are placed in the form of a peace sign over the names of late French cartoonists Cabu, Tignous, Wolinski and late Charlie Hebdo editor Charb on the Place de la Republique (Republic Square) in Paris
In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Australia mourns victims of the Paris massacre at Federation Square in Melbourne
In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Indian artist Sudarsan Pattnaik is pictured with his sand sculpture, in tribute of those who lost their lives in the attack by gunmen on French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo in Paris that killed 12 people, at Golden Sea Beach in Puri, some 65 kilometers from Bhubaneswar
In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A man holds a placard that reads "I am Charlie" as members of the European Parliament and citizens gather during a minute of silence for victims of the shooting at the Paris offices of weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo, in front of the EU Parliament in Brussels
In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A painting of the 'Marianne', the national symbol of the French Republic is placed between candles to commemorate the victims killed in an attack at the Paris offices of the weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo, in front of the French Embassy in Berlin
In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Pencils and flowers of condolance are placed at the French embassy at Pariser Platz in Berlin
In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Mourners hold signs depicting victim's eyes during a rally in support of Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical weekly newspaper that fell victim to an terrorist attack, at Union Square in New York
In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People hold up placards reading 'I am Charlie' during a gathering in Nice
Getty Images
In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A man lights candles set near the portrait of three of the four cartoonists killed, in Paris
Getty Images
In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A man holds the French national flag tied a black ribbon as he and others gather in Lyon to pay their respects
Getty Images
In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Parisians gather to pay respect for the victims of a terror attack against 'Charlie Hebdo'
Getty Images
In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People gather in front of the 'Club de la presse' in Montpellier, to show their solidarity for the victims of the attack by unknown gunmen on the offices of the satirical weekly, 'Charlie Hebdo'
Getty Images
In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A drawing depicting cartoonist Jean Cabut, left, Charlie Hebdo editor Stephane Charbonnier, center, and cartoonist Georges Wolinski, is placed outside the French Embassy in Berlin, Germany. The message reads 'Victims of their success, R.I.P.'
AP
In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A woman lays a candle during a gathering at the Place de la Republique in Paris
Getty Images
In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People take part in a vigil in Trafalgar Square, London, following the deadly terror attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris
PA
In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People light candles forming the name Charlie during a gathering in Strasbourg, eastern France
Getty Images
In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People stand stand in Marseille, southern France, next to a portrait of French cartoonist Georges Wolinksi, killed during an attack by unknown gunmen on the offices of the satirical weekly, 'Charlie Hebdo'
Getty Images
In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People hold placards reading in French 'I am Charlie' during a gathering at the Place de la Republique in Paris
Getty Images
In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A man holds a placard reading 'With all our heart with Charlie Hebdo, Freedom of the press: Our freedom' during a gathering in Marseille, southern France
Getty Images
In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack The French and European union flags fly at half-mast at the French Embassy in Washington, DC
Getty Images
In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People gather at the Place Royale in Nantes to show their solidarity for the victims of the attack in Paris
Getty Images
In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Flowers, candles and a sign reading 'I am Charlie' are placed against a wall during a demonstration in Paris
AP
In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Journalism students hold a banner reading in French: 'Journalism students : Solidarity' as they raise pens during a gathering at the Place de la Republique in Paris
Getty Images
In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People gather for a rally in solidarity with the killed Charlie Hebdo employees, in Geneva, Switzerland
EPA
In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A man holds a placard reading: 'Freedom of the press is priceless, fundamentalism, of any kind, will not pass' as others hold up placards reading in French, 'I am Charlie' during a gathering at the Place de la Republique in Paris
Getty Images
In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Journalists raise their press cards as others hold up pens during a gathering at the Place de la Republique, following the terrorist attack on the offices of the satirical weekly, 'Charlie Hebdo'
Getty Images
In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People hold candles at a rally in support of the victims of Wednesday's terrorist attack, at the Place de la Republique in Paris
Getty Images
In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People gather in front of the city hall of Rennes, western France, following the attack in Paris
Getty Images
Seven of the gunmen suspected of being involved in the attack have since been arrested . An 18-year-old accomplice also handed themself in to a police station.
Charlie Hebdo was firebombed in 2011 after they published a spoof issue “guest edited” by the Prophet Mohamed.
The magazine has been threatened on numerous occasions for publishing the religious cartoon caricatures.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies