Hebdo protest in Kabul turns violent

Kabul - A protest in the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Saturday against the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, turned into a violent confrontation between riot police and demonstrators, police said.

Farid Afzeli, chief of the Kabul police department's criminal investigations division, said several hundred demonstrators gathered in eastern Kabul on Saturday afternoon to protest the magazine's ongoing practice of running satirical caricatures depicting the Prophet Muhammad.

Afzeli says the protest started peacefully, but says a group of armed infiltrators began blocking roads, throwing rocks and shooting at police officers on the scene. Police responded by calling in reinforcements and firing in the air to disperse the crowd, he said.

At one point, the crowd attempted to attack several government buildings and a local bank, but they were blocked by police. Afzeli said eight demonstrators were injured and one police officer was wounded by gunfire.

No arrests were made and the incident is under investigation, Afzeli said.