Charlie Hebdo cover depicts Muhammad

PARIS – Parisians lined up Wednesday to empty the newsstands of the first issue of Charlie Hebdo, a week after Islamic extremists attacked the satirical newspaper’s office, and French justice officials began cracking down by arresting dozens of people who glorified terrorism or made racist or anti-Semitic remarks.

The editors of the publication again put a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad on the cover, and it quickly sold out by early morning around the capital and elsewhere, with long lines and scuffles at kiosks. Disappointed buyers were told to come back today when more of the increased print run of 5 million copies will be available.

A leader of Yemen’s al-Qaida branch officially claimed responsibility for the attacks by two gunmen that left 12 dead at the weekly publication, saying in a video posted online that the slayings came in “vengeance for the prophet.” The newspaper had received repeated threats for lampooning Muhammad.

A third attacker killed five other people, bringing the total number of dead in the Jan. 7-9 spasm of violence to 17 before all the gunmen died in police raids.

On alert for new attacks, France deployed thousands of police and soldiers around the country, and they moved to quash any racist remarks or praise for terrorists.

The scale of security measures is raising questions in some quarters about whether some freedoms will be impinged upon.

At least 54 people were arrested for hate speech or other acts insulting religious faiths, or for cheering the men who carried out the attacks.

The new issue of Charlie Hebdo features the prophet holding a placard that says “Je Suis Charlie.” The saying has swept France and the world, with the irreverent newspaper being embraced as a symbol of freedom of speech.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls held up his copy after the weekly Cabinet meeting – but strategically placed his hand over the prophet’s face.

Muslims believe their faith forbids depictions of the prophet, and some reacted with dismay and anger to the new cover. Some who had supported Charlie Hebdo after the attacks felt betrayed and others feared the cartoon would trigger yet more violence.

Defending his caricature of the prophet on the latest cover, cartoonist Renald Luzier argued there should be no exceptions to freedom of expression.

The issue was banned in Senegal, in west Africa, and the spokesman for the Brussels prosecutor’s office, Laurens Dumont, said four shops were threatened in one Brussels neighborhood if they sold it.

Egypt and Iran condemned the “provocative” publication.

President Francois Hollande, speaking aboard the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle to members of the military, said he was sending the warship to the Middle East as part of the ramped-up effort to fight terrorism. The situation “justifies the presence of our aircraft carrier,” Hollande said.

France is already carrying out airstrikes over Iraq as part of an international coalition fighting the Islamic State group.

Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, one of al-Qaida central’s most active affiliates, posted an 11-minute video on the group’s Twitter account. A top commander, Nasr al-Ansi, warned of more “tragedies and terror” in the future.

Al-Ansi said AQAP “chose the target, laid out the plan and financed the operation.” He said the radical Yemeni-American cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Yemen in September 2011, had arranged the attack.

But a high-ranking French intelligence official told the Associated Press that French authorities see the claim as “opportunistic,” and that AQAP appears to have served as an inspiration – not an orchestrator – of the attacks. That account coincided with what U.S. intelligence officials said.

French police were detaining anyone who shows even verbal support for terrorism or racism and anti-Semitism.

The 54 people arrested included four minors, and several already had been convicted under special measures for immediate sentencing. Inciting terrorism can bring a five-year prison term – or up to seven years for inciting terrorism online.