'Charlie Hebdo' to release special issue

The French satirical magazine "Charlie Hebdo" on Wednesday said it would be releasing close to a million copies of a special issue marking the one-year anniversary of a deadly attack on its offices in Paris.

The issue will comprise 32 pages, featuring select drawings from the cartoonists who were killed in the attack, along with works by current staff.

On January 7, 2015, two militants entered the magazine's offices and killed 12 people, the first of a series of attacks that left at least 17 people dead in Paris.

The attacks were claimed by the militant group al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

A survivors' edition of the magazine released a week after the attack sold a record 7.5 million copies.

Editor-in-chief, cartoonist and columnist Stephane "Charb" Charbonnier, "Cabu" (Jean Cabu), "Tignous" (Bernhard Verlhac), George Wolinski, Philippe Honore and columnist Elsa Cayat were among those killed. Since then, surviving cartoonist "Luz" (Renald Luzier) - who drew the cover cartoon for the survivors' edition showing the Prophet Muhammad holding a sign saying "all is forgiven" - has left the publication; writer and doctor Patrick Pelloux has said he would follow.

The magazine said it received several large orders for the new special issue from other countries, including 50,000 from Germany. It is expected to be released on January 6.

Charlie Hebdo currently sells around 100,000 copies in France and some 10,000 copies internationally per month, plus 183,000 subscriptions - sales spiked after January's attack.

The release follows a series of attacks across the French capital in November, which was claimed by the "Islamic State" militant group. November's attack left at least 130 people dead.

ls/msh (AFP, ARD)