'Muhammad' paper office hit by fire

The headquarters of a satirical newspaper which "invited" the prophet Muhammad to be a guest editor has been seriously damaged by a fire, French police said today.

A spokesman said the blaze broke out overnight at the Paris office of Charlie Hebdo, and the cause remains unclear. No injuries were reported.

The director of the newspaper, who uses the name Charb, said on BFM television that "the material damages are large" and many computer files were destroyed. He stood in front of piles of scorched papers and equipment.

Newspaper employees said they had received many threats as a result of the issue, subtitled "Sharia Hebdo", in reference to Islamic law.