Donald Trump branded a 'moron' for blaming Charlie Hebdo attacks on France's lack of guns

The property tycoon received a volatile response to his comments on the shootings, which killed 12 at the satirical magazine offices in Paris

A devastating tragedy, and another hard-line stream of consciousness from Donald Trump.

The property tycoon faced stark criticism on Twitter for blaming the shootings at French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on France’s ban on guns.

In a series of posts, The Apprentice US presenter outlined his own ideas as to why the attack in Paris, which left 10 journalists and two police officers dead, might have taken place:

Unsurprisingly, the response he received from most users was far from complimentary and frequently featured the word “moron”:

But Trump was not without his US supporters, some of which even urged him to run for President. Naturally flattered by their suggestions, he retweeted many of his favourites:

Not that we should perhaps be surprised by his reaction. As Barnaby Edwards reminds us, he is the same man who tweeted this two years ago:

Trump’s opinion stands at odds with many in the mainstream media, who have condemned the attacks as “barbaric”.

Booker Prize-winning author Salman Rushdie, who featured alongside late Charlie Hebdo editor Stephane “Charb” Charbonnier on Al Quaeda’s ‘Most Wanted’ list last year, branded the shootings a sign of the “deadly mutation at the heart of Islam”.

In a statement, Private Eye editor Ian Hislop said that “very little seems funny” in the wake of the tragedy.

Barack Obama, David Cameron and Angela Merkel have all vowed to stand up for freedom of expression.

Seven of the gunmen suspected of being involved in the attack have since been arrested. An 18-year-old accomplice also handed themself in to a police station.

Charlie Hebdo was firebombed in 2011 after they published a spoof issue “guest edited” by the Prophet Mohamed.

The magazine has been threatened on numerous occasions for publishing the religious cartoon caricatures.