Saïd Kouachi and Chérif Kouachi were identified by French police as the main suspects in the shooting. The two Franco-Algerian brothers, both from Gennevilliers, are aged 34 and 32, respectively. In 2008, Chérif Kouachi was convicted of terrorism charges and sentenced to three years in prison, along with 18 months of suspension, for having assisted in sending fighters to Iraq's insurgency.