On January 7, 2015, the satirical French newspaper Charlie Hebdo was

the victim of a terrorist attack, in which two Islamist gunmen charged

the papers headquarters in Paris and killed 12 staff members.
Following the attack, rallies took place across France, and several world
leaders flew to Paris to participate and pay their respects.
Col. David Lewis, director of the strategic studies graduate program at
Texas Tech, teaches courses about terrorism and national security.
Any time an act of terrorism is committed, we have to look at what the
terrorists hope to accomplish, Lewis said of the attack on France.
Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attack, Lewis said, and in this
case it seemed that they were trying to demonstrate their power and
get some sort of international legitimacy.
They get themselves legitimacy by saying we can pull off this
transnational attack, whether they are actually the ones responsible or
not, he said.
A few days after the original attack, two of the gunmen responsible
had a clash with the French police and were shot and killed, according
to an article from The Associated Press. A separate gunman took
hostages in a Parisian supermarket, killing four before being shot by
police. This attack was also believed to be linked to the Charlie Hebdo
attack, according to the AP.
Due to the transnational nature of the attack, Lewis said it affected
Americans and other nations outside of France.
Greg Ovalle, a junior chemical engineering major from San Antonio,
said he sympathized with the French and saw this attack as a threat to
the whole world.
I remember 9/11, and I think this was very similar, Ovalle said. If
they gain confidence from attacking another country, whats to stop
them from hitting us again?
Following the attacks, Paris citizens coined the phrase Je Suis Charlie,
which means We Are Charlie, in reference to the victimized
newspaper.
Ovalle said he admired how the French responded, and saw unity and
strength in what they did.
To rally together and support your country like they have is something
to be admired, he said. It will leave a lasting legacy.
Ambassador Tibor Nagy, vice provost for International Affairs at Tech,
said when sending students abroad, their safety and security is his
offices number one priority, he said.
While no study abroad trips were canceled in light of the France
attacks, Nagy said if the threat were large enough, they would not
hesitate in canceling individual programs in order to keep students as
safe as possible.
Unfortunately, terrorism is a threat everywhere including in our
own backyard but through proper preparation and continuous
vigilance we can minimize the danger, he said.

Jordan George, a junior nutrition major from Los Alamos, New Mexico,
planned to study abroad in New Mexico prior to the attack.
I feel much safer in the U.S., George said. Being in a foreign
country makes the threat that much more real I think. Its honestly
pretty scary to think about.
Lewis said that for students traveling or studying abroad, no matter
how much of a threat terrorism may be at the time, the most important
thing is to blend in.
Pay attention to what people around you are wearing, be aware of
your surroundings and dont make yourself an obvious target, he said.
While terrorism attacks can take place anywhere at anytime, Lewis
said he wouldnt discourage anyone from leaving the country.
We cant act afraid, Lewis said. We cant give them that
satisfaction.