All photos by Sarah Jane Lamberth
Two runways at Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport have reportedly been closed as authorities pursued efforts that led to the deaths of of the two suspected gunmen in Wednesday's Charlie Hebdo massacre that left 12 people dead, according to The Mirror's Sam Webb.
CNN reports two separate standoffs with gunmen in and around Paris on Friday, one of which is said to involve the two brothers wanted in this week's terrorist attack. That standoff ended around 5 p.m. Paris time in the town of Dammartin-en-Goele near Charles de Gaulle Airport with the death of both gunmen, Cherif and Said Kouachi.
A traveler who was part of the lockdown at de Gaulle gave TravelPulse an exclusive account of the scene inside the airport as the standoff with the gunmen was happening.
"They've locked down lots of other terminals so I'm cramped around many people, but not police," said Sarah Jane Lamberth, a Wofford College student headed to Greece who was inside the airport when the standoff began.
"The tighter security shows that they're being cautious. It's very safe here though. [The situation] isn't anything they're announcing, people here aren't talking about it at all actually," Lamberth told TravelPulse.
Lamberth also pointed out that police weren't in the area and speculated that they were probably closer to the scene. "They've closed off a lot of other terminals so they would watch closer who comes through and I had to go through additional security to enter," she said.
"We are having luggage issues though and it's a concern that they won't load them because of security reasons."
Despite reports that two runways had been closed, at least three flights had "just boarded" as of 11 a.m. ET according to Lamberth.
According to FlightAware.com, 40 arrivals to Charles de Gaulle have been delayed as of 12 p.m. ET on Friday, while five flights destined for the airport have been canceled.
Isaac Lamberth contributed to this report.
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