Four of France's most respected cartoonists who were shot dead after gunmen stormed satrical magazine Charlie Hebdo have been named.

Georges Wolinski, Stephane Charbonnier, Bernard Verlhac and Jean Cabut were among 12 employees gunned down during an editorial meeting at the magazine's offices in Paris.

Witnesses said the assailants called out the names of individuals to identify their targets before opening fire.

Mr Wolinski, 80, began his career as a political cartoonist in 1960 when he contributed drawings to the controversial French magazine Hara Kiri and in 1968 he co-founded the satirical magazine L'Enrage.

His work also appeared in the daily newspaper Libération, Paris-Match and L'Écho des Savanes.

Stephane Charbonnier, 47, became editor of Charlie Hebdo in 2009. He was reportedly a supporter of the French Communist Party and his cartoons often featured Maurice et Patapon, an anti-capitalist cat and dog.

French media are reporting Mr Charbonnier was on al Qaeda's most-wanted list in 2013.

Bernard Velhac, 58, was a contributor to the magazine and was known by the pseudonym Tignous.

Jean Cabut, 76, contributed comic strips and caricatures to the magazine. Known by the pen name Cabu, his cartoons were first published in Parisian newspapers in 1954 after he studied art at the École Estienne.

In 2006 a controversial cartoon he created depicting the Prophet Mohammed appeared on the cover of Charlie Hebdo.

Bernard Maris, a journalist and shareholder in the magazine, was also killed in the assault.

Mr Maris was a professor at the Institute of European Studies of the University of Paris VIII. It is also reported he taught economics at the University of Iowa in the US.