Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of social network Facebook, showed solidarity with the victims of the terrorist attack on the headquarters of the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine in France through a Facebook post.
Zuckerberg began his post by stating that, a few years ago, a Pakistani extremist wanted to sentence him to death due to Facebook's decision not to block content regarding the Prophet Mohammed that the extremist deemed offensive.
According to Zuckerberg, the decision of Facebook was made because varying voices, even when at times offensive, can lead to a better and more interesting world.
"Facebook has always been a place where people across the world share their views and ideas. We follow the laws in each country, but we never let one country or group of people dictate what people can share across the world," Zuckerberg wrote.
Zuckerberg, however, saw the attack on Charlie Hebdo as an act that should be rejected, as the terrorists that carried out the attack aimed to silence the opinions and voices of the entire world.
Zuckerberg promised that he would not let such an attack silence Facebook, as the CEO is committed to building up the social network into a channel through which people can freely speak their minds without being scared of violence.
"My thoughts are with the victims, their families, the people of France and the people all over the world who choose to share their views and ideas, even when that takes courage," Zuckerberg concluded his post, along with the hashtag #JeSuisCharlie that has become the rallying slogan for people across all social media and in vigils held around the world condemning that terrorist attack.
Zuckerberg's post comes as French authorities close in on the prime suspects of the attack. One of the three gunmen has surrendered himself to the authorities, while the search is still going on for the two brothers who were also part of the act of terrorism.
The three hooded gunmen attacked the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris, resulting in the deaths of at least 12 people. The shooting has been deemed the most fatal armed attack in the country for decades.
Included on the list of fatalities were Jean Cabut, co-founder of the magazine, and Stephane Carbonnier, editor-in-chief.
No terrorist organizations have claimed that they were behind the attack. However, one witness heard one of the gunmen say, "Tell the media that it is al Qaeda in Yemen!"
