The killing of 12 people in Paris yesterday has been condemned by religious leaders and organisations in Waltham Forest.

Twelve people were shot dead with automatic weapons at the office of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo after gunmen stormed the building.

It is widely believed they were acting in a ‘revenge’ attack for a picture of the Prophet Muhammad being carried on the front page of the publication.

Ten editorial staff died in a second-floor conference room after being shot. The two other victims were police officers.

Today, general secretary Mohammed Ilyas Raja said all Muslims at the Waltham Forest Islamic Association (WFIA) ‘strongly condemned’ the actions of the gunmen.

He said: “These people are not Christian, they are not Muslim, they are not Jews, they are animals. Crazy animals.

“They have no religion. This should not happen anywhere in the world and this association is against the killing of innocent people.

“This is not Islam. In Islam we are taught that to kill one man is to kill all humanity.

“We fully support the French government. We do not want to interfere with the French government or law.

“People who create images of the Prophet should be dealt with under the law of the land. It is not punishable by death in Paris.”

Canon Steven Saxby from St Barnabas Church also delivered a message of peace.

"It is sad to see that the tragic events in Paris have led to another upsurge in anti-Muslim activity. “I've spoken with my Muslim colleagues to assure them of my support at what is a challenging time.

“I pray the Waltham Forest model of living together in peace may inspire others to stand-up to all forms of hatred and violence.”

However, radical cleric Anjem Choudary, from Walthamstow, has caused outrage by justifying the killings.

He claimed yesterday that freedom of expression should not extend to the Prophet anywhere in the world.

He said to Fox News reporter Sean Hannity: “What I’m saying is that these things need to be put into context.

“I think the political landscape in Europe has in fact shifted – many right wing organisations are now allowed to espouse their own anti-Islamic ideas very openly.

“Freedom of expression has a responsibility by those people who espouse it in the West. You have laws which curtail freedom of expression for your own national security.

“In Islam this carries capital punishment.”

Mr Choudary called for worldwide Sharia Law, which would ban images of the Prophet being published.